Obock

Coordinates: 11°58′N 43°17′E / 11.967°N 43.283°E / 11.967; 43.283

Obock
—  Town  —
A port in Obock
Obock Location in Djibouti
Coordinates: 11°58′N 43°17′E / 11.967°N 43.283°E / 11.967; 43.283
Country	Djibouti
Region	Obock Region
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2003)
- Total	8,300

Obock (also Obok, Ubuk) 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.^[1] The population in 2003 was about 8,300 inhabitants.

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.^[2] The French interest was 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.)

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. Subsequently the population of Obock declined.

At the end of 2002, 1500 United States Marines came to Obock to train for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[3]

The town is home to an airstrip and has ferries to Djibouti City, while mangroves lie nearby.

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.

References

1. ^ Lapidoth, Ruth (1982). The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 83. ISBN 9789024725014. http://books.google.com/books?id=w280o00sxMEC&pg=PA83. Retrieved 29 May 2011. 
2. ^ Scott's monthly stamp journal. 1 January 1982. p. 5. http://books.google.com/books?id=FpguAAAAIAAJ. Retrieved 29 May 2011. 
3. ^ Davis, John (2007). Africa and the war on terrorism. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. p. 35. ISBN 9780754670834. http://books.google.com/books?id=dMb6gR5eyt0C&pg=PA35. Retrieved 29 May 2011.