Statistical information Gabon 1995
Gabon in the World
Gabon - Introduction 1995
top of pageBackground: 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.
Gabon - Geography 1995
top of pageLocation: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic coordinates
Map reference: Africa
Area
Total area total: 267,670 km²
Land: 257,670 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: total 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
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Elevation
Natural resources: petroleum, 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: NA km²
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards
Geography
Gabon - People 1995
top of pagePopulation: 1,155,749 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 1.46% (1995 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 100,000, including 27,000 French
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Religions: Christian 55%-75%, Muslim less than 1%, animist
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 34% (female 193,859; male 194,761)
15-64 years: 61% (female 347,839; male 359,997)
65 years and over: 5% (female 30,218; male 29,075) (July 1995 est.)
Dependency ratios
Median age
Population growth rate: 1.46% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 28.34 births/1000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 13.72 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)
Population distribution
Urbanization
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: deforestation; poaching
Current issues natural hazards: NA
Current issues international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate: 92.4 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.14 years
Male: 52.31 years
Female: 58.06 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.93 children born/woman (1995 est.)
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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Total population: 61%
Male: 74%
Female: 48%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Gabon - Government 1995
top of pageCountry 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 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, 12 March (1968) (Gabonese Democratic Party established)
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; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967); election last held on 5 December 1993 (next to be held 1998); results - President Omar BONGO was reelected with 51% of the vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Paulin OBAME Nguema (since 9 December 1994)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly Assemblee Nationale: elections last held on 5 December 1993 (next to be held by 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) PDG 62, Morena-Bucherons/RNB 19, PGP 18, National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3
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, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
In the us chancery: 2,233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,007, Suite 200
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph C. WILSON IV
From the us embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
From the us mailing address: B. P. 4,000, Libreville
From the us telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34 92
From the us FAX: [241] 74 55 07
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
National symbols
National anthem
National heritage
Gabon - Economy 1995
top of pageEconomy overview: Notwithstanding its serious ongoing economic problems, Gabon enjoys a per capita income more than twice that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Real growth was feeble in 1992 and Gabon continues to face the problem of fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, manganese, and uranium exports. Despite an abundance of natural wealth, and a manageable rate of population growth, 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% in January 1994 did not set off an expected inflationary spiral but the government must continue to keep a tight reign on spending and wage increases.
Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (1994 est.)
Real gdp per capita: $4,900 (1994 est.)
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture products: cash crops - cocoa, coffee, palm oil; livestock raising 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: food and beverages, lumbering and plywood, textiles, cement, petroleum refining, mining - manganese, uranium, gold, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: -3% (1991)
Labor force: 120,000 salaried
By occupation agriculture: 65.0%
By occupation industry and commerce: 30.0%
By occupation services: 2.5%
By occupation government: 2.5%
Labor force
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $1.3 billion
Expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $311 million (1993 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance
Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est)
Commodoties: crude oil 80%, timber 10%, manganese 6%, uranium 2%
Partners: US 38%, France 26%, Japan, Germany
Imports: $832 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: foodstuffs, chemical products, petroleum products, construction materials, manufactures, machinery
Partners: France 42%, African countries 23%, US, Japan
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external: $3.3 billion (1993 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Gabon - Energy 1995
top of pageElectricity
Capacity: 315,000 kW
Production: 910 million kWh
Production consumption per capita: 757 kWh (1993)
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Gabon - Communication 1995
top of pageTelephones
Telephone system: 15,000 telephones; telephone density - 13/1000 persons
Local: NA
Intercity: adequate system, comprising cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiocommunication stations, and 12 domestic satellite links
International: 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Gabon - Military 1995
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Dollar figure: $154 million, 2.4% of GDP (1993)
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Gabon - Transportation 1995
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports: 69
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 28
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2438 m: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 23
Heliports
Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km
Railways
Roadways
Waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable
Merchant marine: total:1 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,281 GRT/12,665 DWT
Ports and terminals
Gabon - Transnational issues 1995
top of pageDisputes international: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs
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