Statistical information Gabon 1992

Gabon in the World

Gabon - Introduction 1992

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Background: Gabon has been ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from France in 1960.

Gabon - Geography 1992

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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 267,670 km²
Land: 257,670 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries:

2,551 km; Cameroon 298 km, 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
Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Elevation

Natural resources: crude oil, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore

Land use

Land use: arable land: 1%; permanent crops: 1%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 78%; other 2%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Gabon - People 1992

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Population: 1,106,355 (July 1992), growth rate 1.5% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Gabonese (singular and plural; adjective - Gabonese

Ethnic groups:

about 40 Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000 expatriate
Africans and Europeans, including 27,000 French

Languages:

French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira,
Bandjabi

Religions: Christian 55-75%, Muslim less than 1%, remainder animist

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 29 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 14 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 100 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 56 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 61% (male 74%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Gabon - Government 1992

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Country name
Conventional long form: Gabonese Republic

Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)

Capital: Libreville

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue,
Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime,
Woleu-Ntem

Dependent areas

Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Renovation Day (Gabonese Democratic Party established), 12 March (1968)

Constitution: 21 February 1961, revised 15 April 1975

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme
Court; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 21
National Assembly:

last held on 28 October 1990 (next to be held by NA); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (120 total, 111 elected) PDG 62,
National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons) 19, PGP 18,
National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3

President: last held on 9 November 1986 (next to be held December 1993); results - President Omar BONGO was reelected without opposition

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS (associate), NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador-designate Alexandre SAMBAT;
Chancery at 2,034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009; telephone (202) 797-1000

US:

Ambassador Keith L. WAUCHOPE; Embassy at Boulevard de la Mer,
Libreville (mailing address is B. P. 4,000, Libreville); telephone (241) 762,003/4, or 743,492

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Gabon - Economy 1992

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Economy overview: The economy, dependent on timber and manganese until the early 1970s, is now dominated by the oil sector. During the period 1981-85, oil accounted for about 46% of GDP, 83% of export earnings, and 65% of government revenues on average. The high oil prices of the early 1980s contributed to a substantial increase in per capita income, stimulated domestic demand, reinforced migration from rural to urban areas, and raised the level of real wages to among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The three-year slide of Gabon's economy, which began with falling oil prices in 1985, was reversed in 1989 because of a near doubling of oil prices over their 1988 lows. In 1990 the economy posted strong growth despite serious strikes, but debt servicing problems are hindering economic advancement. The agricultural and industrial sectors are relatively underdeveloped, except for oil.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $3.3 billion, per capita $3,090; real growth rate 13% (1990 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry; cash crops - cocoa, coffee, palm oil; livestock not developed; importer of food; small fishing operations provide a catch of about 20,000 metric tons; okoume (a tropical softwood) is the most important timber product

Industries: petroleum, food and beverages, timber, cement, plywood, textiles, mining - manganese, uranium, gold

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -10% (1988 est.)

Labor force: 120,000 salaried; agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%, government 2.5%; 58% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: there are 38,000 members of the national trade union, the Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)

Labor force