or formerly French Territory of the Afars and the Issas
ˈä-ˌfär(z)-ən(d)-ṯẖə-ē-ˈsä(z)
or earlier French Somalilandcountry of eastern Africa on Bab el Mandeb Strait across from Yemen and on the Gulf of Aden; a republic area 8958 square miles (23,200 square kilometers), population 884,000