The reverse shows a herd of camels surrounded by Arabesques with a warning in French and Arabic that counterfeiters will be punished by forced labour for life.

Djibouti is a tiny country on the east coast of Africa bordered by Somalia; Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is located opposite the gulf from Aden in Yemen; and together they form the gateway to the Red Sea. As such; Djibouti was for centuries a major trading port.

The less than one million population is composed mostly of two ethnicities: Somalis and Afars. Although Arabic and French are the country's official languages; Somali and Afar are widely spoken. Some 96% of the people are Sunni Muslim. Both males and females are traditionally circumcized in Djibouti.

In the 19th century; Djibouti was known as French Somaliland as it was acquired by France from Somali sultans. In 1958; on the eve of neighboring Somalia's independence in 1960; a referendum was held in Djibouti to decide whether or not to join the Somali Republic or to remain with France. The referendum turned out in favour of a continued association with France. Djibouti finally achieved independence on 27 June 1977.

Since independence; Djibouti has remained close to France; though it is also a member of the Arab League and the African Union.