Legend:
Definition of Term
 Arranged
by Countries Field Listing
| Background: |
Ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from France
in 1960, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution
in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral
process and for reforms of governmental institutions. A small
population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign
support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous black
African countries. |
| Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between
Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
1 00 S, 11 45 E |
| Map
references: |
Africa |
| Area: |
total: 267,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Colorado |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo
1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km |
| Coastline: |
885 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; always hot, humid |
| Terrain: |
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
|
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 1.26%
permanent crops: 0.66%
other: 98.08% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
150 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
NA |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation; poaching |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
| Geography
- note: |
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
|
| Population: |
1,233,353
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 and death rates,
lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution
of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
(July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 33.3% (male 205,559; female 204,796)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 376,103; female 371,422)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 37,220; female 38,253) (2002
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.97% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
27.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.59 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
93.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 49.11 years
female: 50.25 years (2002 est.)
male: 48.01 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
9% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
23,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
2,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
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: |
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% |
| Languages: |
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
|
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
|
| Country
name: |
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique Gabonaise |
| Government
type: |
republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized
in 1990) |
| Capital: |
Libreville |
| Administrative
divisions: |
9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga,
Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem |
| Independence: |
17 August 1960 (from France) |
| National
holiday: |
Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)
|
| Constitution: |
adopted 14 March 1991 |
| Legal
system: |
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: |
21 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since
2 December 1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Francois NTOUTOUME-EMANE
(since 23 January 1999)
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; election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2005);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO reelected;
percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO 66.6%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU
16.5%, Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE 13.4% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members
elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies)
and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats);
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year
terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December
2001 (next to be held NA December 2006); Senate - last held 26
January and 9 February 1997 (next to be held in January 2004)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 86, RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE
3, CLR 2, PUP 1, PSD 1, independents 13, others 3; Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4,
ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9 |
| Judicial
branch: |
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: |
African Forum for Reconstruction or FAR [Leon MBOU-YEMBI]; 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, secretary general]; Gabonese Party for Progress
or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE, president]; Gabonese People's
Union or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally
for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's
Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy
and Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or
PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Jules-Darius OGOUEBANDJA
consulate(s): New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC
20009 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth P. MOOREFIELD
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours
- 74 34 92
FAX: [241] 74 55 07 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
|
| Economy
- overview: |
Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations
of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme
poverty; yet 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, the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal
management. In 1992, the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP,
and Gabon failed to settle arrears on its bilateral debt, leading
to a cancellation of rescheduling agreements with official and
private creditors. Devaluation of its Francophone currency by
50% on 12 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
mandate progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France
provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon
had 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 in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered
Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $6.7 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.5% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10%
industry: 60%
services: 30% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
600,000 600,000 |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 60%, services and government 25%, industry and commerce
15% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
21% (1997 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures
of $310 million (2002 est.) |
| Industries: |
food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum
extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals;
ship repair |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-6.4% (2001 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
850 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
790.5 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical
softwood); fish |
| Exports: |
$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil 81%, timber, manganese, uranium (2000) |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 51%, France 17%, China 8%, Netherlands Antilles 4% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$921 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
|
| Imports
- partners: |
France 62%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, US 5%, Belgium 3% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$3.6 billion (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$331 million (1995) (1995) |
| Currency: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
| Currency
code: |
XAF |
| Exchange
rates: |
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79
(January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is
pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
39,000 (1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
120,000 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment: adequate service by African standards
and improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and
a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable to be in service in 2002 |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001) |
| Radios: |
208,000 (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
4 (plus four low-powered repeaters) (2001) |
| Televisions: |
63,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ga |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2001) |
| Internet
users: |
18,000 (2002)
|
| Railways: |
total: 649 km
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single-track (2001)
|
| Highways: |
total: 8,454 km
paved: 838 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,616 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
1,600 km (perennially navigable) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil
|
| Airports: |
59 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
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 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 24 (2002)
|
| Disputes
- international: |
maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed
sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay | |
Top of Page
