Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, is a mostly French and Arabic-speaking country of dry shrublands, volcanic formations and Gulf of Aden beaches. It is home to one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, the low-lying Lake Assal, in the Danakil Desert. The nomadic Afar people have settlements along Lake Abbe, a body of saltwater featuring chimney like mineral formations.

From 1884, when the French Somaliland protectorate was established, the French franc circulated alongside the Indian rupee and the Maria Theresa thaler. Now the Djiboutian Franc is the official currency of Djibouti. It is subdivided into 100 centimes.

Today we are discussing a 5000 Francs banknote issued in 2002. The obverse of this purple note has the building of the Central Bank of Djibouti to left and the portrait of Mahamoud Harbi to right. The reverse features the female dancers with knives in the foreground of a rocky landscape.

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