| 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 foreign private investment 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 |
| Area: |
total:
267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km
water: 10,000 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 |
| 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%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 77%
other: 3% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
40 sq km (1993
est.) |
| 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 |
| Population: |
1,221,175
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 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
33.29% (male 203,677; female 202,833)
15-64 years: 60.77% (male 373,828; female
368,282)
65 years and over: 5.94% (male 35,867; female
36,688) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.02% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
27.42
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.22
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
94.91
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 49.59 years
male: 48.47 years
female: 50.75 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.69 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
4.16% (1999 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, Eshira,
Bapounou, Bateke), 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, Bateke, 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 long form: Republique Gabonaise
local short form: Gabon |
| Government
type: |
republic;
multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized
in 1990) |
| 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) 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 15 and
29 December 1996 (next to be held NA December 2001); Senate
- last held 26 January and 9 February 1997 (next to be held
in January 2002)
election results: National Assembly - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 89, PGP 9, RNB
6, CLR 3, UPG 2, USG 2, independents 4, others 5; 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]; 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]; Gabonese
Socialist Union or USG [Serge MBA BEKALE]; National Rally of
Woodcutters (Bucherons) or RNB [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 (associate),
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, 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 Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
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: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 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, manganese, and uranium 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. An expected decline in oil output may lead to
contraction in GDP in 2001-02. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $7.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1.2% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $6,300 (2000 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% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 60%,
services and government 25%, industry and commerce 15% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
21% (1997 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $302 million (1996 est.) |
| Industries: |
food and
beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum
extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and gold
mining; chemicals; ship repair |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.3% (1995) |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.02 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
29.9%
hydro: 70.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
948.6 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cocoa, coffee,
sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical
softwood); fish |
| Exports: |
$3.4 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil 75%,
timber, manganese, uranium (1998) |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 47%, France
19%, China 8%, Japan 1.3% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$1 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, petroleum products,
construction materials |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 64%, US
4%, UK 2%, Netherlands 2%, (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$3.9 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$331 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Communaute
Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible
authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
| Exchange
rates: |
Communaute
Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21
(January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998),
583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); 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: |
37,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
9,500 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
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) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 6, FM 7,
shortwave 6 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
4 (plus five
low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
63,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ga |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
649 km (Gabon State Railways or OCTRA)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single
track (1994) |
| Highways: |
total:
7,670 km
paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,041 km (1996) |
| 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
- 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 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
49
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 24 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force, Republican Guard (charged with protecting the
president and other senior officials), National Gendarmerie,
National Police |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 281,218 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 145,062 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
11,304 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$91 million
(FY96) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.6% (FY96) |
| Disputes
- international: |
maritime boundary
dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed
sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay |
|
