Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
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
1,454,867
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
42.1% (male 307,444/female 305,468)
15-64 years
53.9% (male 391,194/female 393,103)
65 years and over
4% (male 23,978/female 33,680) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
18.6 years
male
18.4 years
female
18.8 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.036% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
35.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
12.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.006 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.995 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.712 male(s)/female
total population
0.987 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
53.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male
62.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female
44.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
53.99 years
male
52.85 years
female
55.17 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.71 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
8.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
48,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
3,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk
very high
food or waterborne diseases
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease
malaria (2007)
Nationality
noun
Gabonese (singular and plural)
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
Religions
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Languages
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
63.2%
male
73.7%
female
53.3% (1995 est.)
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)
Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)
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
Suffrage
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2 December 1967)
head of government
Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20 January 2006)
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 27 November 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results
President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6%
Legislative branch
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 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 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 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 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 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 (former sole party) [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE]; 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]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; 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]
Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone
[1] (202) 797-1000
FAX
[1] (202) 332-0668
consulate(s)
New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY
embassy
Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville
mailing address
Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone
[241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 74 34 92
FAX
[241] 74 55 07
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
Economy - overview
Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet, 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, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. Devaluation of its currency by 50% in 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, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. 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 in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$10.17 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$6.931 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$7,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
5.9%
industry
59.7%
services
34.4% (2006 est.)
Labor force
581,000 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
60%
industry
15%
services
25%
Unemployment rate
21% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
22.4% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$3.1 billion
expenditures
$2.181 billion; including capital expenditures of $325 million (2006 est.)
Public debt
28.6% of GDP (2006 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
1.6% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production
1.543 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
34.5%
hydro
65.5%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
1.435 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
268,900 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption
13,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves
1.827 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production
100 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
100 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
33.98 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
$1.807 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$6.677 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)
Exports - partners
US 27.2%, China 15.7%, France 7.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.3%, Thailand 4.2% (2006)
Imports
$1.607 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports - partners
France 35.2%, US 7.6%, Netherlands 5.5%, Cameroon 4.5%, Belgium 4.3% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$835 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$3.971 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$331 million (1995)
Currency (code)
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code
XAF
Exchange rates
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
39,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
649,800 (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system
domestic
adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international
country code - 241; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations
AM 6, FM 7 (plus 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios
208,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions
63,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.ga
Internet hosts
322 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2001)
Internet users
67,000 (2005)
Airports
56 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
11
over 3,047 m
1
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
8
914 to 1,523 m
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
45
1,524 to 2,437 m
7
914 to 1,523 m
15
under 914 m
23 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 272 km; oil 1,354 km (2006)
Railways
total
814 km
standard gauge
814 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
9,170 km
paved
937 km
unpaved
8,233 km (2004)
Waterways
1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2007)
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Military branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police
Military service age and obligation
20 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2007)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
278,826
females age 18-49
279,865 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
159,198
females age 18-49
156,122 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
15,325
females age 18-49
15,367 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
3.4% (2005 est.)
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 (country of origin): 7,298 (Republic of Congo) (2006)
