Arta (, ) is a town in southeastern Djibouti. The center of the Arta Region, it is the country's sixth-largest city. , the population was 11,221. 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.

History

Arta was a small village when the French created their French Somaliland. During the Middle Ages, it was ruled by the Ifat and Adal Sultanates subsequently came under Ottoman and French protection in the 18th century. 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 Djibouti. 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

and

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

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

Arta is situated on a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

in the Arta Mountains which over looks the coastal plains,

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. 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. Arta's terrain is typified by its mountains. We`a is situated just down the mountain, around to the south.

Climate

Arta is characterized by a hot arid climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''BWh'') with hot and dry, prolonged summers and relatively wet mild winters. It has a somewhat milder climate than other Djiboutian cities due to its higher altitude. The summer season in Arta is moderately long, characterized by hot and dry and refreshing breezes with little rain, but

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

is generally low, making the heat tolerable. Average high temperatures are between and during summer months, and it can sometimes rise up to during heat waves, and it can occasionally drop to below - at night. Winter usually sets in around the end of November, extending through early to mid-March. Arta experiences fog coastal fog and greater cloud coverage as warm air passes over the mountains. During the winter months, average low temperatures are between and , and it can occasionally drop to below . The average annual rainfall in Arta is around 205 mm (8 in)

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