from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Gabon
Introduction
Background: 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 contry's political scene for almost 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
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the
Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial
Guinea
Geographic 1 00 S, 11 45 E
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Colorado
comparative:
Land total: 2,551 km
boundaries: border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the
Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Coastline: 885 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east
and south
Elevation lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Natural petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese,
resources: uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 1.21%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 98.15% (2005)
Irrigated 70 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural NA
hazards:
Environment - deforestation; poaching
current
issues:
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
international Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
agreements: Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - a small population and oil and mineral reserves have
note: 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
Population: 1,424,906
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 2006
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 300,914/female 299,141)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 383,137/female 384,876)
65 years and over: 4% (male 23,576/female 33,262) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.8 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.13% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 36.16 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 12.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: 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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 54.51 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 63.65 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 45.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 54.49 years
expectancy at male: 53.21 years
birth: female: 55.81 years (2006 est.)
Total 4.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 8.1% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 48,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 3,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: very high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
diseases: hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)
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.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon
local long form: Republique gabonaise
local short form: Gabon
Government republic; multiparty presidential regime
type:
Capital: name: Libreville
geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue,
divisions: Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo,
Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)
National Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12
holiday: 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 chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba
branch: (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 bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats;
branch: 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: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February
2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National
Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December 2001 (next to be
held December 2006)
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 86,
RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PUP 1, PSD 1,
independents 13, others 3
Judicial Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three
branch: chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts;
Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State
Security; County Courts
Political Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean
parties and Boniface ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or
leaders: CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic
and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge
DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Simplice
Nguedet MANZELA] (former sole party); Gabonese Party
for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE];
National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; 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]; Union for Democracy and
Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese People or
UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77,
organization IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
participation: IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Jules Marius OGOUEBANDJA
representation chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington,
in the US: DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY
representation embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville
from the US: 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 three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow,
description: and blue
Economy
Economy - Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of
overview: most of sub-Saharan African nations. 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, poor fiscal management
hobbles the economy. Devaluation of 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 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. 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 $9.739 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $6.697 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 2.9% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $7,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 6.1%
composition by industry: 59.2%
sector: services: 34.8% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 640,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 60%
by occupation: industry: 15%
services: 25%
Unemployment 21% (1997 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate -0.1% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 24.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $2.463 billion
expenditures: $1.618 billion; including capital
expenditures of $325 million (2005 est.)
Public debt: 33.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume
products: (a tropical softwood); fish
Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold;
chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles,
lumbering and plywood, cement
Industrial 1.6% (2002 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 1.487 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 34.5%
production by hydro: 65.5%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 1.383 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 268,900 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 12,250 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 1.921 billion bbl (2005 est.)
reserves:
Natural gas - 90 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 90 million cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 33.98 billion cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Current $675 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $5.813 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)
commodities:
Exports - US 53.5%, France 6.4%, China 6.3%, Trinidad and Tobago
partners: 4% (2005)
Imports: $1.533 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals,
commodities: construction materials
Imports - France 40.6%, US 6.4%, Cameroon 4.2% (2005)
partners:
Reserves of $675.2 million (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $3.903 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $331 million (1995)
recipient:
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
(code): responsible authority is the Bank of the Central
African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
rates: dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003),
696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 39,100 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 649,800 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate service by African
system: 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: country code - 241; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic
submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to
Europe and Asia
Radio AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 208,000 (1997)
Television 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 63,000 (1997)
Internet .ga
country code:
Internet 322 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2001)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 67,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 56 (2006)
Airports - total: 11
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 45
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 23 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 272 km; oil 1,354 km (2006)
Railways: total: 814 km
standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 32,333 km
paved: 6,247 km
unpaved: 26,086 km (2003)
Waterways: 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2005)
Merchant registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1)
marine: (2006)
Ports and Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Owendo, Port-Gentil
terminals:
Military
Military Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National
branches: Police
Military 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service age service (2001)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 278,826
available for females age 18-49: 279,865 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 159,198
for military females age 18-49: 156,122 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 15,325
reaching females age 18-49: 15,367 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $253.5 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 3.4% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - UN presses Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the
international: sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island
and to establish a maritime boundary in
hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay; only a few hundred out of
the 20,000 Republic of the Congo refugees who fled
militia fighting in 2000 remain in Gabon