Djibouti is a republic in north-eastern Africa and was formerly the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. It is bordered on the east by the Gulf of Aden, on the southeast by Somalia, on the south and west by Ethiopia, and on the north by Eritrea. It is located at the Bab el Mandeb, the strait that links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It has an area of 23,201 sq km (8958 sq mi).