Djibouti is a multi-ethnic town. It has a population of around 603,900 residents (Djiboutians) in 2018, making it by far the largest settlement in the country. The largest ethnic group are the Somali and the second largest being Afars, both Cushitic speaking Cushitic peoples. The city's urban landscape is shaped by many communities. The ethnic make-up of Djibouti changed in 1990s, when significant numbers of Ethiopians and Somali immigrants arrived in the city, with Djibouti nicknamed the "French Hong Kong in the Red Sea" due to its cosmopolitan urbanism.