History of Islam/Modern period/Djibouti

Djibouti

The Republic of Djibouti gained its independence from the French on June 27, 1977. Djibouti is the successor to "French Somaliland" (later called the "French Territory of the Afars and Issas"), which was created in the first half of the nineteenth century as a result of French interest in the Horn of Africa. However, the history of Djibouti recorded in poetry and songs of its nomadic peoples, goes back thousands of years to a time when Djiboutians traded hides and skins for the perfumes and spices of ancient Egypt, India, and China.Through close contacts with the Arabian peninsula for more than 1,000 years, the Somali and Afar tribes in this region became among the first on the African continent to accept Islam. Djibouti is a Muslim country which regularly takes part in Islamic as well as Arab meetings.