Obock
title: "Obock" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-djibouti", "obock-region", "gulf-of-aden", "ports-and-harbours-of-djibouti"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-djibouti" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obock" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | Obock |
| native_name | Hayyú |
| settlement_type | Town |
| image_skyline | Obock, Djibouti.jpg |
| imagesize | 300 |
| pushpin_map | Djibouti#Horn of Africa#Africa |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location within Djibouti##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa |
| pushpin_relief | 1 |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | [[Image:Flag of Djibouti.svg |
| subdivision_type1 | Region |
| subdivision_name1 | Obock Region |
| area_total_km2 | 6 |
| elevation_m | 13 |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 20,152 |
| population_as_of | 2024 census |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| :: |
| official_name = Obock | native_name = Hayyú | settlement_type = Town | image_skyline = Obock, Djibouti.jpg | imagesize = 300 | image_caption = | pushpin_map = Djibouti#Horn of Africa#Africa | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Djibouti##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa | pushpin_relief = 1 | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag of Djibouti.svg|25px]] Djibouti | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Obock Region | area_total_km2 = 6 | elevation_m = 13 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 20,152 | population_as_of = 2024 census | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = | utc_offset = | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | website = | footnotes =
Obock (also Obok, , Hayyú) is a small port town in Djibouti. It is located on the Northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden. The town is home to an airstrip and has ferries to Djibouti City. The French form Obock derives from Arabic "Oboh", which is a deformation of Oboki, a name given to a local wadi.
History
Main article: Ifat Sultanate, Adal Sultanate, Obock Territory
The fishing village was originally built on the plateau of Dala-h Húgub near the Dar'i Wadi, with some houses constructed of mud and stone and Daboyta. Most of the inhabitants made their living through animal husbandry, fishing, commerce and used a well for drinking water. During the Middle Ages, Obock was ruled by the Ifat Sultanate and then the Adal Sultanate. The Sultans of Raheita emerged from the Adal Sultanate. Although nominally part of the Ottoman Empire since 1554, between 1821 and 1841, Muhammad Ali, Pasha of Egypt, came to control Yemen and modern-day Eritrea, and claims on Ethiopia as far as Harar. In 1884, the commander of the patrol sloop L’Inferent, a French ship, confirmed the Egyptian presence in the area around Obock. The commander of the patrol sloop Le Vaudreuil also reported that the Egyptians were occupying the interior between Obock and Tadjoura. In actuality, however, Egypt had little authority over the interior and their period of rule on the coast was brief, lasting only a few years before the Egyptian garrison was withdrawn from the area in 1862,
French Somaliland
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Obock_panorama_1882.jpg" caption="Panorama of Obock in 1882 with first French factory on the left"] ::
During the Scramble for Africa, growing French interest in the area took place against a backdrop of British activity in Egypt and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Between 1883 and 1887, France signed various treaties with the then ruling Somali and Afar Sultans, which allowed it to expand the protectorate to include the Gulf of Tadjoura. Obock was originally significant as the site of the first French colony in the region, established by treaty with the local Afar rulers on March 11, 1862. The French were interested in having a coaling station for steamships, which would become especially important upon the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. (Up to that time French ships had to buy coal at the British port of Aden across the gulf, an unwise dependency in case of war.) ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Obock_coal_depot_mid-1880s.png" caption="The French traders settlement and the coal depot in the mid 1880s."] ::
The site was not the subject of any occupation, just visited by the ships of the naval divisions assigned to the Indian Ocean, until the installation of trader Pierre Arnoux in 1881, followed by Paul Soleillet. Obock became a true colony in 1884 with the arrival in August of Léonce Lagarde, who established an administration and extended French possession in the Gulf of Tadjoura, forming the Territory of Obock and outbuildings, with Obock as its capital. By 1885, Obock had 800 inhabitants and a school. However, the anchorage was more exposed than the site of Djibouti on the south side of the Gulf of Tadjoura, and the colonial administration moved there in 1894. The population of Obock subsequently declined. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Obock(rés_Lagarde).jpg" caption="p=172}} The first governor appointed under the [[Free French]] was [[André Bayardelle]]. A local battalion from French Somaliland participated in the [[Liberation of Paris]] in 1944. In 1963, Obock's circle was created by division of that of Tadjourah region."] ::
Djibouti
A third independence referendum was held in the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas on 8 May 1977. The previous referendums were held in 1958 and 1967, which rejected independence. This referendum backed independence from France. A landslide 98.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially marking Djibouti's independence. Obock is expected to be the site of the Chinese naval base in Djibouti.
Obock has become a key stop in the route for illegal migration from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, being the location from where smugglers take migrants on boats to Yemen.
Demographics
As of the 2024 census, the population of Obock was at 20,152. The town inhabitants belong to various mainly Afro-Asiatic-speaking ethnic groups. The Afar and Issa Somali, are predominant.
Postage stamps
During its time as a French colony, Obock issued its own postage stamps; for more detail see Postage stamps and postal history of Obock.
Overview
Obock is connected to other environs by RN-14 National Highway. A ferry ride from Djibouti City to Obock takes three hours; the distance is 237 km.
Climate and geography
Obock has a dry climate. It is classified as hot and semi-arid (Köppen climate classification BSh). Obock is 13 m above sea level on the plateau of Gazelles ("Dala-h Húgub in Afar") in desert terrain. The sky is always clear and bright throughout the year. |metric first = yes |single line = yes |temperature colour=pastel |Jan high C = 28.9 |Feb high C = 29.0 |Mar high C = 30.8 |Apr high C = 32.8 |May high C = 35.4 |Jun high C = 38.6 |Jul high C = 41.0 |Aug high C = 39.9 |Sep high C = 37.0 |Oct high C = 33.8 |Nov high C = 31.0 |Dec high C = 29.5 |Jan low C = 22.3 |Feb low C = 23.3 |Mar low C = 24.6 |Apr low C = 26.0 |May low C = 28.2 |Jun low C = 30.7 |Jul low C = 30.8 |Aug low C = 30.1 |Sep low C = 30.0 |Oct low C = 26.4 |Nov low C = 24.2 |Dec low C = 22.7 |rain colour=green |Jan precipitation mm = 4 |Feb precipitation mm = 6 |Mar precipitation mm = 16 |Apr precipitation mm = 4 |May precipitation mm = 7 |Jun precipitation mm = 0 |Jul precipitation mm = 5 |Aug precipitation mm = 6 |Sep precipitation mm = 3 |Oct precipitation mm = 5 |Nov precipitation mm = 14 |Dec precipitation mm = 10 | source 1 = Climate-Data.org, altitude: 13m |source 2= Levoyageur
The submarine coastal spring waters have an interesting geothermal potential (with a deep temperature of approximatively 200 °C).
Notable residents
- Hasna Mohamed Dato, Politician
- Abdallah Mohamed Kamil, Politician
- Henry de Monfreid, Adventurer, writer
References
Works cited
References
- "French Somali coast Timeline".
- E. H. M. Clifford, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1785556 "The British Somaliland-Ethiopia Boundary", ''Geographical Journal''], 87 (1936), p. 289.
- Raph Uwechue, ''Africa year book and who's who'', (Africa Journal Ltd.: 1977), p. 209.
- "{{cite EB1911
- Kevin Shillington, ''Encyclopedia of African history'', (CRC Press: 2005), p.360.
- Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p. 322 {{ISBN. 0-19-829645-2
- Panda, Ankit. (February 29, 2016). "Confirmed: Construction Begins on China's First Overseas Military Base in Djibouti".
- (February 15, 2016). "Defense Ministry's regular press conference on Feb.25". [[Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China]].
- (13 June 2024). "The deadly journey to the Gulf". The Economist.
- "Obock (City, Djibouti) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".
- "Climate: Dikhil - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org.
- "DJIBOUTI - OBOCK : Climate, weather, temperatures". Levoyageur.
- Awaleh, Mohamed Osman. (2015). "The geothermal resources of the Republic of Djibouti — I: Hydrogeochemistry of the Obock coastal hot springs". Journal of Geochemical Exploration.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::