Background: Following, independence from France in 1960, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-ruling heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009). President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in December 2002 and the presidential election in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, a new election brought his son, Ali BONGO Ondimba, 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 stable African countries.President Ali BONGO Ondimba’s controversial August 2016 reelection sparked unprecedented opposition protests that resulted in the burning of the parliament building. The election was contested by the opposition after fraudulent results were flagged by international election observers. Gabon’s Constitutional Court reviewed the election results but ruled in favor of President BONGO, upholding his win and extending his mandate to 2023.

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 267,667 km²
Land: 257,667 km²
Water: 10,000 km²
Rank: 78
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 3,261 km
Border countries: (3) Cameroon 349 km; , Republic of the Congo 2,567 km; , Equatorial Guinea 345 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 377 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 19% (2011 est.)
Forest: 81% (2011 est.)
Other: 0% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: none

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

Population
Distribution: the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest:
Rank: 145
Growth rate: 2.73% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 15
Below poverty line: 34.3% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Gabonese

Ethnic groups: Gabonese-born 80.1% (includes Fang 23.2%, Shira-Punu/Vili 18.9%, Nzabi-Duma 11.3%, Mbede-Teke 6.9%, Myene 5%, Kota-Kele 4.9%, Okande-Tsogo 2.1%, Pygmy .3%, other 7.5%), Cameroonian 4.6%, Malian 2.4%, Beninese 2.1%, acquired Gabonese nationality 1.6%, Togolese 1.6%, Senegalese 1.1%, Congolese (Brazzaville) 1%, other 5.5% (includes Congolese (Kinshasa), Equatorial Guinean, Nigerian) (2012)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 42.3%, Protestant 12.3%, other Christian 27.4%, Muslim 9.8%, animist 0.6%, other 0.5%, none/no answer 7.1% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile: Gabon’s oil revenues have given it one of the highest per capita income levels in sub-Saharan Africa, but the wealth is not evenly distributed and poverty is widespread. Unemployment is especially prevalent among the large youth population; more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25. With a fertility rate still averaging more than 4 children per woman, the youth population will continue to grow and further strain the mismatch between Gabon’s supply of jobs and the skills of its labor force.Gabon has been a magnet to migrants from neighboring countries since the 1960s because of the discovery of oil, as well as the country’s political stability and timber, mineral, and natural gas resources. Nonetheless, income inequality and high unemployment have created slums in Libreville full of migrant workers from Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, and elsewhere in West Africa. In 2011, Gabon declared an end to refugee status for 9,500 remaining Congolese nationals to whom it had granted asylum during the Republic of the Congo’s civil war between 1997 and 2003. About 5,400 of these refugees received permits to reside in Gabon.

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.45% (male 405,676 /female 387,900)
15-24 years: 22.08% (male 245,490 /female 222,343)
25-54 years: 31.6% (male 355,348 /female 314,344)
55-64 years: 4.96% (male 54,679 /female 50,356)
65 years and over: 3.91% (male 40,721 /female 42,179) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 67.4 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 59.9 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.6 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 13.2 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.5 years (2018 est.)
Male: 20.8 years
Female: 20.2 years
Rank: 187

Population growth rate: 2.73% (2018 est.)
Rank: 15

Birth rate: 26.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 46

Death rate: 6.2 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 157

Net migration rate: 7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 15

Population distribution: the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest

Urbanization
Urban population: 89.7% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.61% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 824,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2019)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation (the forests that cover three-quarters of the country are threatened by excessive logging); burgeoning population exacerbating disposal of solid waste; oil industry contributing to water pollution; wildlife 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 32.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 36.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 29.3 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 56

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68 years (2018 est.)
Male: 66.3 years
Female: 69.6 years
Rank: 169

Total fertility rate: 3.52 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 42

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 31.1% (2012)

Drinking water source
Urban: 2.8% of population
Rural: 33.3% of population
Total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.1% (2016)

Physicians density: 0.36 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 6.3 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 56.6% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 68.5% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 58.1% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 14
People living with hivaids: 53,000 (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 59
Deaths: 1200 (2018 est.)
Deaths rank: 57

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever (2016)
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis (2016)
Animal contact diseases: rabies (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15% (2016)
Rank: 127

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.4% (2012)
Rank: 76

Education expenditures: 2.7% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 151

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 83.2%
Male: 85.3%
Female: 81% (2015)

Country name
Conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
Conventional short form: Gabon
Local long form: Republique Gabonaise
Local short form: Gabon
Etymology: name originates from the Portuguese word gabao meaning cloak, which is roughly the shape that the early explorers gave to the estuary of the Komo River by the capital of Libreville

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Libreville
Geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: original site settled by freed slaves and the name means 'free town' in French; named in imitation of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone

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

Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

Constitution
History: previous 1961; latest drafted May 1990, adopted 15 March 1991, promulgated 26 March 1991
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, by the Council of Ministers, or by one third of either house of Parliament; passage requires Constitutional Court evaluation, at least two-thirds majority vote of two thirds of the Parliament membership convened in joint session, and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on Gabon’s democratic form of government cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2011 (2017)

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
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Gabon
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ali BONGO Ondimba (since 16 October 2009)
Head of government: Prime Minister Julien NKOGHE BEKALE (since 15 January 2019)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 27 August 2016 (next to be held in August 2023); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Ali BONGO Ondimba reelected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 49.8%, Jean PING (UFC) 48.2%, other 2.0%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 4 permanent specialized supreme courts - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation, Administrative Supreme Court or Conseil dEtat, Accounting Supreme Court or Cour des Comptes, Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle, and the non-permanent Court of State Security, initiated only for cases of high treason by the president and criminal activity by executive branch officials)
Judge selection and term of office: appointment and tenure of Supreme, Administrative, Accounting, and State Security courts NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed - 3 by the national president, 3 by the president of the Senate, and 3 by the president of the National Assembly; judges serve single renewable 7-year terms
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; county courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders: Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [Gen. Jean-Boniface ASSELE]Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [DIDJOB Divungui di Ndinge]Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Ali BONGO Ondimba]Independent Center Party of Gabon or PGCI [Luccheri GAHILA]Legacy and Modernity Party or RH&MRally for Gabon or RPGRestoration of Republican Values or RVSocial Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]Social Democrats of GabonThe Democrats or LDUnion for the New Republic or UPRN [Louis Gaston MAYILA]Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Richard MOULOMBA]Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Jean PING]

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, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
In the us FAX: [1] (301) 332-0668
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffaires Robert E. WHITEHEAD (since March 2019); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
From the us telephone: [241] 01-45-71-00
From the us embassy: Sabliere, B.P. 4,000, 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 FAX: [241] 01-74-55-07

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: black panther; national colors: green, yellow, blue

National anthem
Name: La Concorde (The Concorde)
Lyricsmusic: Georges Aleka DAMAS: note: adopted 1960

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 relied on timber and manganese exports until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. From 2010 to 2016, oil accounted for approximately 80% of Gabon’s exports, 45% of its GDP, and 60% of its state budget revenues.Gabon faces fluctuating international prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. A rebound of oil prices from 2001 to 2013 helped growth, but declining production, as some fields passed their peak production, has hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. GDP grew nearly 6% per year over the 2010-14 period, but slowed significantly from 2014 to just 1% in 2017 as oil prices declined. Low oil prices also weakened government revenue and negatively affected the trade and current account balances. In the wake of lower revenue, Gabon signed a 3-year agreement with the IMF in June 2017.Despite an abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management and over-reliance on oil has stifled the economy. Power cuts and water shortages are frequent. Gabon is reliant on imports and the government heavily subsidizes commodities, including food, but will be hard pressed to tamp down public frustration with unemployment and corruption.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 123

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 191

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 98

Gross national saving:
Rank: 55

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 37.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 29% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.6% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 46.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -26.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 44.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 50.4% (2017 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: 1.8% (2017 est.)
Rank: 135

Labor force: 557,800 (2017 est.)
Rank: 155
By occupation agriculture: 64%
By occupation industry: 12%
By occupation services: 24% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 204

Population below poverty line: 34.3% (2015 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 42.2 (2005 est.)
Rank: 52

Budget
Revenues: 2.634 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 2.914 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 101

Taxes and other revenues: 17.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 167

Public debt:
Rank: 68

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 125

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 110

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 40

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 130

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 138

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 141

Market value of publicly traded shares: NA

Current account balance:
Rank: 131

Exports:
Rank: 106
Partners: China 36.4%, US 10%, Ireland 8.5%, Netherlands 6.3%, South Korea 5.1%, Australia 5%, Italy 4.6% (2017)
Commodities: crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium

Imports:
Rank: 151
Commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Partners: France 23.6%, Belgium 19.6%, China 15.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 133

Debt external:
Rank: 127

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 200,000 (2017)
Access electrification total population: 91.4% (2016)
Access electrification urban areas: 96.7% (2016)
Access electrification rural areas: 55% (2016)
Production: 2.244 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 137
Consumption: 2.071 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 143
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 137
Imports: 344 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 85
Installed generating capacity: 671,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 137
Generation sources fossil fuels: 51% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 148
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 93
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 49% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 41
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 186

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 196,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 35
Crude oil exports: 214,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 30
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 130
Crude oil proven reserves: 2 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 34

Refined petroleum
Products production: 16,580 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 91
Products consumption: 24,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 129
Products exports: 4,662 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 91
Products imports: 10,680 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 146

Natural gas
Production: 401 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 74
Consumption: 401 million m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 101
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 107
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 128
Proven reserves: 28.32 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 69

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 4.293 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 137

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 21,235
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 175
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,663,243
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 142

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; competition among telecoms, independent regulatory authority and reduction in cost connecting makes for strong telecommunications (2018)
Domestic: fiixed-line is 1 per 100 subscriptions; a growing mobile cellular network with multiple providers is making telephone service more widely available with mobile cellular teledensity at 150 per 100 persons (2018)
International: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC, ACE and Libreville-Port Gentil Cable fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and West Africa; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

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

Internet
Country code: .ga
Users total: 835,408
Users percent of population: 48.1% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 137

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 14,967
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Rank: 162

Military expenditures:
Rank: 74

Military and security forces: Gabonese Defense Forces (Forces de Defense Gabonaise): Land Force (Force Terrestre), Gabonese Navy (Marine Gabonaise), Gabonese Air Forces (Forces Aerienne Gabonaises, FAG) (2012)

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

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 5 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 137,331 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TR (2016)

Airports: 44 (2013)
Rank: 97
With paved runways total: 14 (2019)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 30 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 14 (2013)

Pipelines: 807 km gas, 1639 km oil, 3 km water (2013)

Railways
Total: 649 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 649 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 106

Roadways
Total: 14,300 km (2001)
Paved: 900 km (2001)
Unpaved: 13,400 km (2001)
Rank: 124

Waterways: 1600 km
Note: (310 km on Ogooue River) (2010)
Rank: 48

Merchant marine
Total: 29
By type: general cargo 11, oil tanker 1, other 17 (2018)
Rank: 127

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Oil terminal: Gamba, Lucina

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