Map of Gabon | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Until recently only two autocratic presidents had ruled Gabon since its independence from France in 1960. The recent president of Gabon El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - had dominated the country's political scene for 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 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. President BONGO died in June 2009. New elections in August 2009 brought Ali Ben BONGO son of the former president to power. 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. In January 2010 Gabon assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.


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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 reference: Africa

Area
Total: 267,667 km²
Rank: 76
Land: 257,667 km²
Water: 10,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 2,551 km
Border countries: (3) Cameroon 298 km; Republic of the Congo 1903 km; Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Iboundji 1575 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas diamond niobium manganese uranium gold timber iron ore hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 1.21%
Permanent crops: 0.64%
Other: 98.15% (2005)

Irrigated land: 70 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 164 km³ (1987)

Natural hazards: NA

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


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Population: 1,545,255
Rank: 151
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 higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Growth rate: 2.025% (2010 est.)
Growth rate rank: 53
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Gabonese
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

Languages: French (official) Fang Myene Nzebi Bapounou/Eschira Bandjabi

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.1%
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 407,461/female 409,633)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,799/female 34,659) (2010 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 18.6 years
Male: 18.4 years
Female: 18.9 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.025% (2010 est.)
Rank: 53

Birth rate: 35.39 births/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 33

Death rate: 12.9 deaths/1000 population (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 25

Net migration rate: -2.24 migrant(s)/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 176

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 85% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.88 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 49
Male: 59 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 42.51 deaths/1000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 52.75 years
Rank: 206
Male: 51.96 years
Female: 53.58 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.62 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Rank: 34

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.9% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 13
People living with hivaids: 49,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 65
Deaths: 2,300 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 57

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria and chikungunya
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (2000)
Rank: 120

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 63.2%
Male: 73.7%
Female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 12 years (1999)

Youth unemployment


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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

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 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: Independence Day 17 August (1960)

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ali Ben BONGO Ondimba
Head of government: Prime Minister Paul BIYOGHE MBA (since 15 July 2009)
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 on 30 August 2009 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: President Ali Ben BONGO Ondimba elected; percent of vote - Ali Ben BONGO Ondimba 41.7% Andre MBA OBAME 25.9% Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 25.2% Zacharie MYBOTO 3.9% other 3.3%
Note: President BONGO died on 8 June 2009 after serving as president for 32 years; in accordance with the constitution he was replaced on an interim basis by the president of the Senate Rose Francine ROGOMBE on 10 June 2009; new elections where held on 30 August 2009 and the son of the former president Ali Ben BONGO Ondimba was elected president

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (102 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies to serve six-year terms) 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 on 18 January 2009 (next to be held in January 2015); National Assembly - last held on 17 and 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 75 RPG 6 UGDD 3 CLR 2 PGCI 2 PSD 2 UPG 2 ADERE 1 independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 82 RPG 8 UPG 8 UGDD 4 ADERE 3 CLR 2 PGP-Ndaot 2 PSD 2 independents 4 others 5

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: 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 [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA] (former sole party); Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Benoit Mouity NZAMBA]; Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development or UGDD [Zacherie MYBOTO]; National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; Party of Development and Social Solidarity or PDS [Seraphin Ndoat REMBOGO]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese Patriots or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU BDEAC CEMAC FAO FZ G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OIC OIF OPCW UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Victor BOUNGOU
In the us chancery: Suite 200 2,034 20th Street NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
In the us fax: [1] (202) 332-0668
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Eunice S. REDDICK
From the us embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer Libreville
From the us mailing address: Centre Ville B. P. 4,000 Libreville; pouch:2,270 Libreville Place Washington DC 20,521-2,270
From the us telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04 after hours - 7,380,171
From the us fax: [241] 74 55 07

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top) yellow and blue; green represents the country's forests and natural resources gold represents the equator (which transects Gabon) as well as the sun blue represents the sea

National symbols

National anthem
Name: 'La Concorde'
Lyricsmusic: Georges Aleka DAMAS
Note: adopted 1960

National heritage


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Economy overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations but 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 more than 50% of GDP although the industry is in decline as fields pass their peak production. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil timber and manganese exports and the global recession led to a GDP contraction of 1.4% in 2009. Despite the abundance of natural wealth poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. 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 from 1999 to 2008 helped growth but drops in production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2007 and later that year issued a $1 billion sovereign bond to buy back a sizable portion of its Paris Club debt.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 120
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 47

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 78
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.5%
Industry: 62.7%
Services: 32.8% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa coffee sugar palm oil rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese gold; chemicals ship repair food and beverages textiles lumbering and plywood cement

Industrial production growth rate: 4.8% (2010 est.)
Rank: 69

Labor force: 712,000 (2010 est.)
Rank: 148
By occupation agriculture: 60%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 25% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 21% (2006 est.); NA%
Rank: 170

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.5%
Highest 10: 32.7% (2005)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 27.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 94

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2009 est.)
Rank: 4

Central bank discount rate: 4.75% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 99

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

Stock of narrow money: $1.623 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Rank: 122

Stock of broad money: $2.468 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 135

Stock of domestic credit: $826.8 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 148

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $887 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 50

Exports: $6.04 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 100
Commodities: crude oil 70% timber manganese uranium
Partners: Russia 30.62% US 16.56% China 15.87% France 4.28% (2009)

Imports: $2.298 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 147
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs chemicals construction materials
Partners: France 32.21% US 7.92% China 7.02% Belgium 4.99% Italy 4.81% Cameroon 4.56% Netherlands 4.35% (2009)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.993 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 89

Debt external: $2.352 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 135

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs per US dollar - 507.71 (2010) 472.19 (2009) 447.81 (2008) 481.83 (2007) 522.89 (2006)


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Electricity
Production: 1.774 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 135
Consumption: 1.446 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 141
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 90 million m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 80
Consumption: 90 million m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 104
Exports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Exports rank: 176
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 177
Proven reserves: 28.32 billion m³ (1 January 2010 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 73

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 26,500 (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 181
Mobile cellular: 1.373 million (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 141

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate system of cable microwave radio relay tropospheric scatter radiotelephone communication stations and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
Domestic: a growing mobile-cellular network with multiple providers is making telephone service more widely available; subscribership reached 90 per 100 persons in 2009
International: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)

Broadcast media: state owns and operates 2 TV stations and 2 radio broadcast stations; a few private radio and TV stations are operational; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible; satellite service subscriptions are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ga
Hosts: 90 (2010)
Hosts rank: 205
Users: 98,800 (2009)
Users rank: 160

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 145

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for voluntary military service; there is no conscription (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 44 (2010)
Rank: 97
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 31
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 14 (2010)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 240 km; oil 858 km (2009)

Railways
Total: 814 km
Rank: 100
Standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 9,170 km
Rank: 138
Paved: 937 km
Unpaved: 8,233 km (2004)

Waterways: 1600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2010)
Rank: 51

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 2 (2010)
Rank: 148

Ports and terminals: Gamba Libreville Lucinda Owendo Port-Gentil


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Disputes international: UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 7,178 (Republic of Congo) (2007)

Illicit drugs