Obock
Obock
Hayyú | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
  Obock Location within Djibouti  Obock Location within the Horn of Africa  Obock Location within Africa | |
| Coordinates:11°58′N43°17′E/ 11.967°N 43.283°E | |
| Country |  Djibouti |
| Region | Obock Region |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2 km2(0.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 13 m (43 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 11,706 |
Obock(alsoObok,Arabic:أبخ,Afar:Hayyú) is a small port town inDjibouti.It is located on the northern shore of theGulf of Tadjoura,where it opens out into theGulf of Aden.The town is home toan airstripand has ferries toDjibouti City.The French form Obock derives from Arabic "Oboh", which is a deformation of Oboki, a name given to a localwadi.
History
[edit]The fishing village was originally built on theplateauof Dala-h Húgub near the Dar'iWadi,with some houses constructed of mud and stone and Daboyta. Most of the inhabitants made their living throughanimalhusbandry, fishing,commerceand used a well for drinkingwater.During the Middle Ages, Obock was ruled by theIfat Sultanateand then theAdal Sultanate.The Sultans of Raheita emerged from the Adal Sultanate. Although nominally part of theOttoman Empiresince 1554, between 1821 and 1841,Muhammad Ali,Pasha of Egypt, came to controlYemenand modern-dayEritrea,and claims on Ethiopia as far asHarar.[1]In 1884, the commander of the patrol sloop L’Inferent, a French ship, confirmed the Egyptian presence in the area around Obock, and the commander of the patrol sloop Le Vaudreuil reported that the Egyptians were occupying the interior between Obock andTadjoura.[2]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the interior and their period of rule on the coast was brief, lasting only a few years before the Egyptian garrison was withdrawn from the area in 1862,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
[edit]
During theScramble for Africa,growing French interest in the area took place against a backdrop of British activity inEgyptand the opening of theSuez Canalin 1869. Between 1883 and 1887, France signed various treaties with the then rulingSomaliandAfarSultans,which allowed it to expand the protectorate to include theGulf of Tadjoura.[3]Obock was originally significant as the site of the firstFrenchcolony in the region, established by treaty with the localAfarrulers on March 11, 1862.[4]The French were interested in having acoaling stationforsteamships,which would become especially important upon the opening of theSuez Canalin 1869. (Up to that time French ships had to buy coal at the BritishportofAdenacross the gulf, an unwise dependency in case of war.)
The site was not the subject of any occupation, just visited by the ships of thenavaldivisions assigned to theIndian Ocean,until the installation of trader Pierre Arnoux in 1881, followed byPaul Soleillet.Obock became a true colony in 1884 with the arrival in August ofLéonce Lagarde,who established an administration and extended French possession in theGulf of Tadjoura,forming the Territory of Obock and outbuildings, with Obock as its capital. By 1885, Obock had 800 inhabitants and aschool.However, the anchorage was more exposed than the site ofDjiboution the south side of theGulf of Tadjoura,and the colonial administration moved there in 1894. The population of Obock subsequently declined.[5]
However, until the French occupation of Tadjoura in 1927, Obock remained the only place on the northern coast of the Gulf of Tadjoura with a colonial administrative office. It became the capital of the Dankali District in 1914, then an administrative position from 1927 which was subsumed into the "Circle of Adaels" in 1929. DuringWorld War II,Italy's declaration of war onFranceandGreat Britaincame on 10 June 1940. The Italians did undertake some offensive actions beginning on 18 June.[6]FromHarrar Governorate,troops under General Guglielmo Nasi to attack French Somaliland, there was some skirmishes. When the government on 10 July learned that the armistice was not yet put into effect inFrench Somaliland,PresidentPhilippe Pétaina collaborationistgovernment at Vichysent General Gaëtan Germain as his personal representative to correct the situation. Negotiations atDewele,Italian East Africaon the local implementation of the armistice were only finally completed on 8 August.[7]By that time, the British offensive against the Italians had tightened theblockadeofFrench Somaliland.Famineset in malnutrition-related diseases took many lives, 70% of them women and children and many townsfolk left for thehinterland.The locals named the blockade the carmii, a word for a type of sorghum usually reserved forcattle,but used as human food at the height of the famine. Obock became the capital of a circle responsible for resupplying the colony during the Allied blockade from 1941 to 1943. Only a few Arab dhows (boutres) managed to run the blockade toDjiboutiand Obock and only two FrenchshipsfromMadagascarmanaged to run it. TheJapanese declaration of war(7 December 1941) gave the colony some respite, since the British were forced to withdraw all but two ships from theblockadefor use in theFar East.TheCommander-in-Chief, East Africa,William Platt,codenamed the negotiations for thesurrenderofFrench Somaliland"Pentagon", because there were five sides: himself, the Vichy governor, theFree French,the British minister at Addis Ababa and theUnited States.Christian Raimond Dupontsurrendered and Colonel Raynal's troops crossed back into French Somaliland on 26 December 1942, completing its liberation. The official handover took place at 10:00 p.m. on 28 December.[8]The first governor appointed under theFree FrenchwasAndré Bayardelle.A local battalion from French Somaliland participated in theLiberation of Parisin 1944. In 1963, Obock's circle was created by division of that of Tadjourah region.
Djibouti
[edit]Athird independence referendumwas held in theFrench Territory of the Afars and the Issason 8 May 1977. The previous referendums were held in1958and1967,[9]which rejectedindependence.This referendum backed independence fromFrance.[10]A landslide 98.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially markingDjibouti's independence.Obock is expected to be the site of theChinese naval base in Djibouti.[11][12]
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.[13]
Demographics
[edit]As of 2009, the population of Obock has been estimated to be 11,706. The town inhabitants belong to various mainlyAfro-Asiatic-speaking ethnic groups, theAfarandIssaSomali,are predominant.
Postage stamps
[edit]During its time as a French colony, Obock issued its ownpostage stamps;for more detail seePostage stamps and postal history of Obock.
Overview
[edit]Obock is connected to other environs byRN-14 National Highway.A ferry ride fromDjibouti Cityto Obock takes three hours; the distance is 237 km (147 mi).
Climate and geography
[edit]Obock has a dry climate. It is classified as hot andsemi-arid(Köppen climate classificationBSh). 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.[14]
| Climate data for Obock | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.9 (84.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
35.4 (95.7) |
38.6 (101.5) |
41.0 (105.8) |
39.9 (103.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
33.8 (92.8) |
31.0 (87.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
34.0 (93.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.0 (86.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
26.6 (79.9) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 4 (0.2) |
6 (0.2) |
16 (0.6) |
4 (0.2) |
7 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
5 (0.2) |
6 (0.2) |
3 (0.1) |
5 (0.2) |
14 (0.6) |
10 (0.4) |
80 (3.2) |
| Source 1:Climate-Data.org,altitude: 13m[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Levoyageur[15] | |||||||||||||
The submarine coastal spring waters have an interesting geothermal potential (with a deep temperature of approximatively 200 °C).[16]
Notable residents
[edit]- Hasna Mohamed Dato,Politician
- Abdallah Mohamed Kamil,Politician
- Henry de Monfreid,Adventurer, writer
References
[edit]- ^"French Somali coast Timeline".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-06-09.Retrieved2013-04-19.
- ^E. H. M. Clifford,"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.
- ^Scott's monthly stamp journal.1 January 1982. p. 5.Retrieved29 May2011.
- ^"Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 593.
- ^Thompson & Adloff 1968,p. 16.
- ^Rovighi 1995,p. 109.
- ^Imbert-Vier 2008,p. 172.
- ^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. 322ISBN0-19-829645-2
- ^Panda, Ankit (February 29, 2016)."Confirmed: Construction Begins on China's First Overseas Military Base in Djibouti".The Diplomat.Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2017.RetrievedMay 17,2017.
- ^"Defense Ministry's regular press conference on Feb.25".Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.February 15, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon May 18, 2017.
- ^"The deadly journey to the Gulf".The Economist.13 June 2024.Retrieved20 June2024.
- ^ab"Climate: Dikhil - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table".Climate-Data.org.Retrieved30 September2013.
- ^"DJIBOUTI - OBOCK: Climate, weather, temperatures".Levoyageur.Retrieved5 September2016.
- ^Awaleh, Mohamed Osman; Hoch, Farhan Bouraleh; Kadieh, Ibrahim Houssein; Soubaneh, Youssouf Djbril; Egueh, Nima Moussa; Jalludin, Mohamed; Boschetti, Tiziano (2015). "The geothermal resources of the Republic of Djibouti — I: Hydrogeochemistry of the Obock coastal hot springs".Journal of Geochemical Exploration.152:54–66.doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2015.02.001.
Works cited
[edit]- Imbert-Vier, Simon (2008).Frontières et limites à Djibouti durant la période coloniale (1884–1977)(PhD thesis).Université de Provence–Aix-Marseille I.
- Rovighi (1995).Le operazioni in Africa orientale (giugno 1940 – novembre 1941).Volume II: Documenti. Rome: Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito.
- Thompson, Virginia McLean; Adloff, Richard (1968).Djibouti and the Horn of Africa.Stanford University Press.
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