1988 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; maritime dispute with Equatorial Guinea

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Coastline

885 km

Comparative area

about the size of Colorado

Environment

deforestation

Ethnic divisions

about 40 Bantu tribes, including 4 major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000 expatriate Africans and Europeans, including 35,000 French Gabon (continued)

Exclusive fishing zone

150 nm

Infant mortality rate

117/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

120,000 salaried (1983); 65.0% agriculture, 30.0% industry and commerce, 2.5% services, 2.5% government

Land boundaries

2,422 km total

Land use

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

Language

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

Life expectancy

50

Literacy

65%

Nationality

noun — Gabonese (sing., pi.); adjective — Gabonese

Organized labor

there are 38,000 members of the national trade union, the Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)

Population

1,039,006 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.31%

Religion

mainly Christian; 55% Protes- • tant, 32% Catholic

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

Special notes

none

Terrain

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

Territorial sea

100 nm

Total area

267,670 km2; land area: 257,670 km2

Administrative divisions

nine provinces subdivided into 36 prefectures

Branches

30-member Territorial Assembly, popularly elected; five-member Couni cil of Government, elected by Assembly; j popular election of two deputies to Na- ! tional Assembly and one senator to Senate • in Paris

power centralized in President, elected by universal suffrage for sevenyear term; unicameral legislature (93member National Assembly, including nine members chosen by Omar Bongo) has limited powers; constitution amended in 1979 so that Assembly deputies will serve five-year terms; independent judiciary

Capital

Papeete , Administrative divisions: 48 communes

Libreville

Communists

no organized party; probably some Communist sympathizers

Elections

every five years; last held in May 1982 Political parties and leaders: Tahoeraa Huiraatira (Gaullist), Gaston Flosse; Ai'a Api (New Country Party), Emile Vernaudon; Here Ai'a, Jean Juventin; la Mana ' (Socialist), Jacques Crollet; Te E'a Api (Socialist), Jacques VII : Voting strength: (1982 election) Tahoeraa Huiraatira, 13 seats; Ai'a Api, 3 seats; Here Ai'a, 6 seats; la Mana, 3 seats; Independents, 4 seats; Te E'a Api, 1 seat

presidential election last held autumn 1986; parliamentary election last held February-March 1985; constitutional change separates dates for presidential and parliamentary elections Political party and leader: Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) led by President Bongo is only legal party

Government leader

El Hadj Omar BONGO, President (since December 1967)

Government leaders

Pierre ANGELI, High Commissioner appointed by French i Government (since April 1986); Jacques j TEUIRA, President of the Territorial Government (since February 1987); Jacques TEHEIURA, Vice President of the Territorial Government

I Legal system

based on French; lower and : higher courts

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law; constitution adopted 1961; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; legal education at Center of Higher and Legal Studies at Libreville; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted

Member of

AfDB, African Wood Organization, Conference of East and Central African States, BDECA (Central African Development Bank), EAMA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCO, ICO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, QIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holidays

Renovation Day, 12 March; Independence Day, 17 August; major Islamic and Christian holidays

Official name

Territory of French Poly- ; nesia • Type: overseas territory of France

Gabonese Republic

Suffrage

universal adult

universal over age 18

Type

republic; one-party presidential regime since 1964

Agriculture

coconuts

commercial— cocoa, coffee, wood, palm oil, rice; main food crops — pineapples, bananas, manioc, peanuts, root crops; imports food

Budget

$180 million in 1979; ODA and OOF commitments from Western (non-US countries)

revenues, $1.25 billion; current expenditures, $1.31 billion (1984)

Electric power

72,000 kW capacity; 265 million kWh produced, 1,470 kWh per capita (1986) ' Exports: $21 million (1977); 79% coconut products, 14% mother-of-pearl, vanilla

280,000 kW capacity; 981 million kWh produced, 960 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1984); crude petroleum, wood and wood products, minerals (manganese, uranium concentrates, gold)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 52,638 metric tons (1982)

GDP

A$931.3 million, US$6,400 per capita (1980)

$3.3 billion, $3,300 per capita; real growth rate - 5.0% (1985)

Imports

$419 million (1977); fuels, foodstuffs, equipment

$0.9 billion (c.i.f., 1985); mining, roadbuilding machinery, electrical equipment, transport vehicles, foodstuffs, textiles

Major industries

maintenance of French nuclear test base, tourism

petroleum production, sawmills, petroleum refinery, food and beverage processing; mining of increasing importance; major minerals — manganese, uranium, iron (not produced)

Major trade partners

imports — 59% France, 14% US; exports— 86% France

France, US, FRG

Monetary conversion rate

127.05 Colonial Francs Pacifique (CFP)=US$1 (February 1984)

331.24 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$l (November 1986)

Natural resources

oil, manganese, uranium, gold, wood, iron ore

Airfields

41 total, 41 usable; 25 with permanent-surface runways, 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

80 total, 74 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie

Civil air

about 6 major transport aircraft

7 major transport aircraft

Highways

600 km (1982)

7,393 km total; 300 km paved, 3,493 km gravel and improved, 3,600 km unimproved

Inland waterways

none

about 1,600 km perennially navigable

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $67.2 million; 4.9% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 269,000; 134,000 fit for military service; 8,000 reach military age (20) annually

Pipelines

crude oil, 270 km; refined products, 14 km

Ports

1 major (Papeete), 6 minor

2 major (Owendo and Port-Gentil), 3 minor

Railroads

none

970 km 1.437-meter standard gauge under construction; 338 km are completed

Telecommunications

33,200 telephones (18.3 per 100 popl.); 80,000 radio and 26,000 TV sets; 5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV stations; 1 satellite ground station Defense Forces Defense is responsibility of France Sec regional map VII

adequate system of open-wire, radio-relay, tropospheric scatter links and radiocommunication stations; 13,800 telephones (1.4 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 6 FM, 8 TV stations; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite stations Defense Forces