Editing Obock


{{Infobox settlement
| 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            = {{coord|11|58|N|43|17|E|region:DJ|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type       = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_name       = [[Image:Flag of Djibouti.svg|25px]] [[Djibouti]]
| subdivision_type1      = [[Regions of Djibouti|Region]]
| subdivision_name1      = [[Obock Region]]
| area_total_km2         = 6
| elevation_m            = 13
| population_footnotes   = <ref name="pop"/>
| 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''', {{langx|ar|أبخ}}, {{lang|aa|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 [[Obock Airport|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|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 of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]], Pasha of Egypt, came to control [[Yemen]] and modern-day [[Eritrea]], and claims on Ethiopia as far as [[Harar]].<ref name="awdalpress.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.awdalpress.com/index/archives/16528 |title=French Somali coast Timeline |access-date=2013-04-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609002748/http://www.awdalpress.com/index/archives/16528 |archive-date=2013-06-09 }}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Clifford">E. H. M. Clifford, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1785556 "The British Somaliland-Ethiopia Boundary", ''Geographical Journal''], 87 (1936), p. 289.</ref> 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===
[[File:Obock panorama 1882.jpg|thumb|left|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 people|Somali]] and [[Afar people|Afar]] [[Sultan]]s, which allowed it to expand the protectorate to include the [[Gulf of Tadjoura]].<ref name="Uwechue">Raph Uwechue, ''Africa year book and who's who'', (Africa Journal Ltd.: 1977), p. 209.</ref> Obock was originally significant as the site of the first [[France|French]] colony in the region, established by treaty with the local [[Afar people|Afar]] rulers on March 11, 1862.<ref name="Scott's monthly stamp journal">{{cite book|title=Scott's monthly stamp journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FpguAAAAIAAJ|access-date=29 May 2011|date=1 January 1982|page=5}}</ref> The French were interested in having a [[coaling station]] for [[steamship]]s, 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.) 
[[File:Obock coal depot mid-1880s.png|thumb|right|240px|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 (city)|Djibouti]] on the south side of the [[Gulf of Tadjoura]], and the colonial administration moved there in 1894. The population of Obock subsequently declined.<ref>"{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Obok |volume=19 |page=593}}</ref> 
[[File:Obock(rés Lagarde).jpg|thumb|right|240px|Panorama of Obock in 1920.]] 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. During [[World War II]], [[Italy]]'s declaration of war on [[France]] and [[Great Britain]] came on 10 June 1940, with them undertaking some offensive actions beginning on 18 June.{{sfn|Thompson|Adloff|1968|p=16}} From [[Harrar 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 in [[French Somaliland]], President [[Philippe Pétain]] a collaborationist [[Vichy France|government at Vichy]] sent General Gaëtan Germain as his personal representative to correct the situation. Negotiations at [[Dewele]], [[Italian East Africa]] on the local implementation of the armistice were only finally completed on 8 August.{{sfn|Rovighi|1995|p=109}} By that time, the British offensive against the Italians had tightened the [[blockade]] of [[French Somaliland]]. [[Famine]] set in malnutrition-related diseases took many lives, 70% of them women and children and many townsfolk left for the [[hinterland]]. The locals named the blockade the carmii, a word for a type of sorghum usually reserved for [[cattle]], 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 to [[Djibouti city|Djibouti]] and Obock and only two French [[ship]]s from [[Madagascar]] managed to run it. The [[Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire|Japanese declaration of war]] (7 December 1941) gave the colony some respite, since the British were forced to withdraw all but two ships from the [[blockade]] for use in the [[Far East]]. The [[East Africa Command|Commander-in-Chief, East Africa]], [[William Platt]], codenamed the negotiations for the [[surrender (military)|surrender]] of [[French Somaliland]] "Pentagon", because there were five sides: himself, the Vichy governor, the [[Free French]], the British minister at Addis Ababa and the [[United States]]. [[Christian Raimond Dupont]] surrendered 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&nbsp;p.m. on 28 December.{{sfn|Imbert-Vier|2008|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 [[1977 Afars and Issas independence referendum|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 French Somaliland overseas territory referendum|1958]] and [[1967 French Somaliland independence referendum|1967]],<ref name="Kseoah">Kevin Shillington, ''Encyclopedia of African history'', (CRC Press: 2005), p.360.</ref> which rejected [[independence]]. This referendum backed independence from [[France]].<ref>Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p. 322 {{ISBN|0-19-829645-2}}</ref> A landslide 98.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially marking [[Independence Day (Djibouti)|Djibouti's independence]]. Obock is expected to be the site of the [[Chinese naval base in Djibouti]].<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/confirmed-construction-begins-on-chinas-first-overseas-military-base-in-djibouti/ |title=Confirmed: Construction Begins on China's First Overseas Military Base in Djibouti |first=Ankit |last=Panda |date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=May 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514232104/https://thediplomat.com/2016/02/confirmed-construction-begins-on-chinas-first-overseas-military-base-in-djibouti/ |archive-date=May 14, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://eng.mod.gov.cn/Press/2016-02/25/content_4644801.htm |title=Defense Ministry's regular press conference on Feb.25 |date=February 15, 2016 |publisher=[[Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China]]  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518022718/http://eng.mod.gov.cn/Press/2016-02/25/content_4644801.htm |archive-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/06/13/the-deadly-journey-to-the-gulf |title=The deadly journey to the Gulf |work=The Economist |date=13 June 2024 |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics==
As of the 2024 census, the population of Obock was at 20,152.<ref name="pop">{{Cite web |title=Obock (City, Djibouti) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/djibouti/admin/obock/51__obock/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> The town inhabitants belong to various mainly [[Afro-Asiatic languages|Afro-Asiatic]]-speaking ethnic groups. The [[Afar people|Afar]] and [[Issa (clan)|Issa]] [[Somalis|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 [[National Highway 14 (Djibouti)|RN-14 National Highway]].  A ferry ride from [[Djibouti City]] to Obock takes three hours; the distance is {{convert|237|km|mi|abbr=on}}.

==Climate and geography==
Obock has a dry climate. It is classified as hot and [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''[[Hot semi-arid climate|''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.<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web|title=Climate: Dikhil - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/31645/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=30 September 2013}}</ref>
{{Weather box|location = Obock
|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<ref name="Climate-Data.org"/>
|source 2= ''Levoyageur''<ref name="Levoyageur">{{cite web|title=DJIBOUTI - OBOCK : Climate, weather, temperatures|url=http://www.levoyageur.net/weather-city-OBOCK.html|publisher=Levoyageur|access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref>
}}

The submarine coastal spring waters have an interesting geothermal potential (with a deep temperature of approximatively 200&nbsp;°C).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Awaleh|first=Mohamed Osman|last2=Hoch|first2=Farhan Bouraleh|last3=Kadieh|first3=Ibrahim Houssein|last4=Soubaneh|first4=Youssouf Djbril|last5=Egueh|first5=Nima Moussa|last6=Jalludin|first6=Mohamed|last7=Boschetti|first7=Tiziano|year=2015|title=The geothermal resources of the Republic of Djibouti — I: Hydrogeochemistry of the Obock coastal hot springs|journal=Journal of Geochemical Exploration|volume=152|pages=54–66|doi=10.1016/j.gexplo.2015.02.001}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
* [[Hasna Mohamed Dato]], Politician
* [[Abdallah Mohamed Kamil]], Politician
* [[Henry de Monfreid]], Adventurer, writer

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite thesis |first=Simon |last=Imbert-Vier |title=Frontières et limites à Djibouti durant la période coloniale (1884–1977) |type=PhD thesis |institution=[[University of Provence|Université de Provence–Aix-Marseille I]] |year=2008 |url=https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00736163}}
* {{cite book |last=Rovighi |title=Le operazioni in Africa orientale (giugno 1940 – novembre 1941) |series=Volume II: Documenti |publisher= Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito |location=Rome |year=1995}}
* {{cite book |title=Djibouti and the Horn of Africa |first1=Virginia McLean |first2=Richard |last1=Thompson |last2=Adloff |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1968}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Populated places in Djibouti]]
[[Category:Obock Region]]
[[Category:Gulf of Aden]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Djibouti]]