Arta ( so, Carta, ar, عرته) is a town in southeastern

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

. The center of the

Arta Region Arta Region ( ar, إقليم عرتا, so, Gobolka Carta) is one of the six regions of Djibouti. It was officially created in 2003 by the regrouping of districts of the regions of Dikhil and Djibouti. It is situated in the south-central of the co ...

, it is the country's sixth-largest city. , the population was 11,043. Arta is situated on the Mountains of Arta and is famous for its mild climate. It is located some west of the national capital,

Djibouti City Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...

History

The Arta settlement is several centuries old. During the Middle Ages, it was ruled by the Ifat and

Adal Adal may refer to: *A short form for Germanic names in ''aþala-'' (Old High German ''adal-''), "nobility, pedigree"; see Othalan **Adál Maldonado (1948-2020), Puerto Rican artist ** Adal Ramones (born 1969), Mexican television show host ** Adal ...

sultanates. Arta later formed a part of the French Somaliland protectorate in the first half of the 20th century. In the December 1942 British invasion of French Somaliland, about 700 British troops and Free French troops occupied the town. Under French colonial rule in 1946, a new housing estate and hill station was built. Arta's climate lent itself to becoming the prime sanctuary of the French civil servants in

. The region of Arta is inhabited of the popular ethnic group of Djibouti, the Issa, formulated the "Declaration of Arta", in which they professed cohesion under the protection of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. They argued against the influence of the large independent neighboring countries of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

and against the connection to one of these countries. From May 2, 2000, peace talks between various factions of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Bar ...

were held in the city with some 810 delegates, resulting in the establishment of the

Transitional National Government The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004. Overview The TNG was established in April–May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibouti. ...

of Somalia.

Geography and climate

It lies at an elevation of 755 metres (2,477 feet) above sea level. It lies on highlands known as the Arta Mountains. The temperate central portion, where Arta lies, is situated on a rocky highland plateau, which over looks the coastal plains. The town is connected to other environs by

National Highway 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...

. Public buses go from Djibouti City to Arta. It takes half an hour to get to Arta. A contracted bus ride from Djibouti city to Arta can charge between 350 Djiboutian franc. We`a is situated just down the mountain, around to the south. Sunshine is abundant in the town, averaging eight to ten hours a day year-round. It is lowest during the wet season, when there is some coastal fog and greater cloud coverage as warm air passes over the mountains. Arta has a hot arid climate (''BWh'') by the Köppen-Geiger system.

Demographics

, the population of Arta has been estimated to be 11,043. The town inhabitants belong to various mainly Afro-Asiatic-speaking ethnic groups, with the Issa Somali predominant.

Twin towns – sister cities

Arta is twinned with:

References

{{Authority control Arta Region Populated places in Djibouti