Arta ( so, Carta, ar, عرته) is a town in southeastern Djibouti. The center of the Arta Region, it is the country's sixth-largest city. , the population was 11,043. Arta is situated on the

Mountains of Arta The Arta Mountains, also known as the Great Mountains of Arta ( so, Buuraha Carta) are a mountain range in Djibouti. They sit at an average elevation of above sea level, is the tenth highest point in Djibouti. The mountains lie to the south of the ...

and is famous for its mild climate. It is located some west of the national capital, Djibouti City.

History

The Arta settlement is several centuries old. During the Middle Ages, it was ruled by the Ifat and Adal sultanates. Arta later formed a part of the

French Somaliland French Somaliland (french: Côte française des Somalis, lit= French Coast of the Somalis so, Xeebta Soomaaliyeed ee Faransiiska) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which time it became the French Ter ...

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 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 Djibouti. The region of Arta is inhabited of the popular ethnic group of Djibouti, the

Issa Issa or ISSA may refer to: Acronyms and abbreviations *Independent Schools Sports Association, now known as the Sports Association for Adelaide Schools *Information Systems Security Association *Instituto Superior de Secretariado y Administracion ...

, formulated the "Declaration of Arta", in which they professed cohesion under the protection of France. They argued against the influence of the large independent neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Somalia and against the connection to one of these countries. From May 2, 2000, peace talks between various factions of the Somali Civil War were held in the city with some 810 delegates, resulting in the establishment of the Transitional National Government 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 Arta Mountains, also known as the Great Mountains of Arta ( so, Buuraha Carta) are a mountain range in Djibouti. They sit at an average elevation of above sea level, is the tenth highest point in Djibouti. The mountains lie to the south of the ...

. 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. 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 Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...

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 The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

-speaking ethnic groups, with the Issa Somali predominant.

Twin towns – sister cities

Arta is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with:

References

{{Authority control Arta Region Populated places in Djibouti