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  Gabon  
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This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


Map of Gabon



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Gabon Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the country's political scene for four decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.
   Geography    Gabon Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
1 00 S, 11 45 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Africa
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
885 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 1.21%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 98.15% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
70 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
164 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
total: 0.12 cu km/yr (50%/8%/42%)
per capita: 87 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity
   People    Gabon Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,485,832
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 314,078/female 311,900)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 399,586/female 401,602)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,388/female 34,278) (2008 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.954% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
35.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 52.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 61.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 53.52 years
male: 52.5 years
female: 54.57 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
48,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.8% of GDP (2000)
   Government    Gabon Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique gabonaise
local short form: Gabon
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic; multiparty presidential regime
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Libreville
geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
17 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 17 August (1960)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
adopted 14 March 1991
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2 December 1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20 January 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6%
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 17 and 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 82, RPG 8, UPG 8, UGDD 4, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PGP-Ndaot 2, PSD 2, independents 4, others 5
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG (former sole party) [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Benoit Mouity NZAMBA]; Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development or UGDD [Zacherie MYBOTO]; National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; Party of Development and Social Solidarity or PDS [Seraphin Ndoat REMBOGO]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese Patriots or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos BOUNGOU
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Eunice S. REDDICK
embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville
mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville; pouch:2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270
telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 07380171
FAX: [241] 74 55 07
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
   Economy    Gabon Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. but because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. The devaluation of the CFA franc - its currency - by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices since 1999 have helped growth, but drops in production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains, and will continue to temper the gains for most of this decade. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$20.44 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$11.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$14,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 6.1%
industry: 58%
services: 35.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
582,000 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 60%
industry: 15%
services: 25%
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
21% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $3.536 billion
expenditures: $2.347 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
52.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.547 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$799.3 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$359.8 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.671 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.365 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
243,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
255,500 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,485 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
100 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
100 million cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.552 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.956 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 32.5%, China 15.8%, France 9.4%, Malaysia 6%, Trinidad and Tobago 5% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.107 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 27.7%, US 19.1%, Belgium 5.4%, Netherlands 4.7%, China 4.1% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.238 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.895 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
   Communications    Gabon Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
26,500 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.169 million (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of a growing mobile cell network system with multiple providers; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 6, FM 7 (plus 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ga
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
88 (2008)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
145,000 (2007)
   Transportation    Gabon Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
53 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 43
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 384 km; oil 1,427 km (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 814 km
standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 9,170 km
paved: 937 km
unpaved: 8,233 km (2004)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2007)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Port-Gentil
   Military    Gabon Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
20 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 331,181
females age 16-49: 332,498 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 192,717
females age 16-49: 188,539 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing
male: 16,558
female: 16,577 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Gabon Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 7,178 (Republic of Congo) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
Definition Field Listing
current situation: Gabon is predominantly a destination country for children trafficked from other African countries for the purpose of forced labor; girls are primarily trafficked for domestic servitude, forced market vending, forced restaurant labor, and sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced street hawking and forced labor in small workshops
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Gabon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to convict and punish trafficking offenders; the government has not reported the convictions or sentences of any trafficking offenders; the government did not take steps to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008


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