1998 Edition

Area

total: 267,670 sq km land: 257,670 sq km water: 10,000 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than Colorado

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Coastline

885 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Environment-current issues

deforestation; poaching

Environment-international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Irrigated land

40 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 18% forests and woodland: 77% other: 3% (1993 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 33% (male 202,364; female 202,249) 15-64 years: 61% (male 372,157; female 364,806) 65 years and over: 6% (male 32,718; female 33,550) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

28 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

13.23 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans 154,000, including 6,000 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

Infant mortality rate

85.43 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.51 years male: 53.55 years female: 59.56 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

1,207,844 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

1.48% (1998 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.81 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

adopted 14 March 1991

Country name

conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon

Data code

GB

Executive branch

chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967) 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 elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Omar BONGO reelected; percent of vote-Omar BONGO 51%

FAX

[1] (202) 332-0668 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth RASPOLIC embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34 92

[241] 74 55 07

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

Government type

republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)

Independence

17 August 1960 (from France)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000

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: Action Forum for Renewal or FAR [Leon MBOU-YEMBI, secretary general]; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG, former sole party [Simplice Guedet MANZELA, secretary general]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE, president]; Gabonese People's Union or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]; Gabonese Socialist Union or USG [Dr. Serge Mba BEKALE]; National Recovery Movement-Lumberjacks or Morena-Bucherons/RNB [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; ADERA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Akexandre SAMBAT, president]

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

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature consists of a Senate (91 seats) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats); members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms elections: National Assembly-last held in December 1996 (next to be held in December 2001); Senate-last held 12 January 1997 (next to be held in January 2002) election results: National Assembly-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party - PDG 100, Morena-Bucherons/RNB 8, PUP 3, CLR 3, FAR 1, UPG 1, USG 2, PGP 2; Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PDG 51, RNB 17, PGP 4, ADERA 3, RDP 1, others 15 note: the provision of the constitution for the establishment of a senate was implemented in the 12 January 1997 elections

National capital

Libreville

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 August (1960) (Gabon granted full independence from France)

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Agriculture-products

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil; rubber; okoume (a tropical softwood); cattle; small fishing operations (provide a catch of about 30,000 metric tons)

Budget

revenues: $1.5 billion expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $302 million (1996 est.)

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt-external

$3.9 billion (1996)

Economic aid

$NA

Economy-overview

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty 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 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, manganese, and uranium exports. Despite the 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% on 12 January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95 and a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995. Those agreements mandate progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon chastened the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform (such as reduced public sector employment and salary growth).

Electricity-capacity

310,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

800 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

925 million kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) 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

Exports

total value: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: crude oil 81%, timber 12%, manganese 5%, uranium (1996) partners: US 50%, France 16%, Japan 8%, China, Spain, Germany (1996)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$6 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 7.1% industry: 54.6% services: 38.3% (1996)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$5,000 (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

3% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $969 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, petroleum products, construction materials partners: France 39%, Cote d'Ivoire 13%, US 6%, Netherlands 5%, Japan

Industrial production growth rate

2.3% (1995)

Industries

food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair

Inflation rate-consumer price index

6.2% (1996 est.)

Labor force

NA by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry and commerce, services

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 6, shortwave 0

Radios

250,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

22,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

3 (repeaters 5)

Televisions

40,000 (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

10%-14% (1993 est.)

Airports

64 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 54 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 26 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 7,670 km paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: 7,041 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 3 bulk (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 37,003 GRT/60,663 DWT (1997 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km Ports and harbors: Cape Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil

Railways

total: 649 km Gabon State Railways (OCTRA) standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)

Waterways

1,600 km perennially navigable

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard (charged with protecting the president and other senior officials), National Gendarmerie, National Police

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$154 million (1993)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

2.4% (1993)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 277,850 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 142,334 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

20 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 11,352 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay The Gambia The Gambia