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

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Background: El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009) following independence from France in 1960. 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. Following President BONGO's death in 2009 new elections in brought Ali Ben BONGO son of the former president to power. Despite constrained political conditions Gabon's small population abundant natural resources and considerable foreign support have helped make it one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.


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Location: Central 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

Area
Rank: 77
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical; always hot humid

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

Elevation

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

Land use

Irrigated land: 40 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: 1,608,321 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 153
Growth rate: 1.977% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 57
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.977% (2012 est.)
Rank: 57

Birth rate: 35 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 28

Death rate: 13.07 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 21

Net migration rate: -2.16 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 168

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; poaching

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 44

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 210

Total fertility rate: 4.56 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 31

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.29 physicians/1000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density: 1.25 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.2% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 14
People living with hivaids: 46,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 59
Deaths: 2,400 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 52

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 8.8% (2001)
Rank: 68

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital

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: mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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)

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 EITI (candidate country) FAO FZ G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIC OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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: black panther

National anthem

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 economy was reliant on oil for about 50% of its GDP about 70% of revenues and 87% of goods exports for 2010 although some fields have passed their peak production. A rebound of oil prices from 1999 to 2008 helped growth but declining production has 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. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil timber and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth poor fiscal management has stifled the economy. However President BONGO has made efforts to increase transparency and is taking steps to make Gabon a more attractive investment destination to diversify the economy. BONGO has attempted to boost growth by increasing government investment in human resources and infrastructure. GDP grew more than 6% per year over the 2010-12 period.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 117

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 38

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 73

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 4.8% (2010 est.)
Rank: 70

Labor force: 756,200 (2012 est.)
Rank: 150

Unemployment rate: 21% (2006 est.)
Rank: 163

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 6.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 8

Taxes and other revenues: 32.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 86

Public debt: 22.2% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 125

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.3% (2011 est.)
Rank: 62

Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 84

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 44

Stock of narrow money: $2.47 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 118

Stock of broad money: $3.534 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 133

Stock of domestic credit: $1.817 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 138

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $3.514 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 32

Exports: $10.86 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 92
Commodities: crude oil timber manganese uranium
Partners: US 41.7% Australia 9.3% Malaysia 8.5% Japan 6% China 5.1% Spain 4.6% (2011)

Imports: $3.194 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 141
Commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs chemicals construction materials
Partners: France 32.6% China 8.3% US 6.3% Belgium 5.7% Cameroon 4.3% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.177 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 116

Debt external: $2.726 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 136

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 1.604 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 140
Consumption: 1.301 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 147
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 199
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 191
Installed generating capacity: 415,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 140
Generation sources fossil fuels: 59% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 140
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 93
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 41% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 52
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 129

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 244,700 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 37
Crude oil exports: 226,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 31
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 188
Crude oil proven reserves: 1.309 billion bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 39

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 20,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 96
Products consumption: 15,800 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 143
Products exports: 8,985 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 88
Products imports: 5,890 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 150

Natural gas
Production: 80 million m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 81
Consumption: 80 million m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 108
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 201
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 199
Proven reserves: 28.32 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 72

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.592 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 126

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 22,500 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 187
Mobile cellular: 1.8 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 145

Telephone system

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

Internet
Country code: .ga
Hosts: 127 (2012)
Hosts rank: 206
Users: 98,800 (2009)
Users rank: 160

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 142

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 45 (2012)
Rank: 96

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 294 km; oil 893 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 105

Roadways
Rank: 138

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

Merchant marine
Rank: 140

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

Illicit drugs