Gabon

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Introduction - Gabon:
Country	Gabon
Background	Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the countrys political scene for almost four decades. 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 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabons political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.
Location - Gabon:
Location	Western 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 references	Africa
Area	total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km
Area comparative	slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries	total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Coastline	885 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain	narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Elevation extremes	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	arable land: 1.21% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 98.15% (2005)
Irrigated land	70 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards	NA
Environment current issues	deforestation; poaching
Environment international agreements	party to: 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 Africas wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity
People - Gabon:
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.)
Nationality	noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese
Major infectious diseases	degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)
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.)
Government - Gabon:
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)
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	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 MBA-ABESSOLE]; Peoples 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA
International organization participation	ACCT, 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, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the us	chief of mission: Ambassador Jules Marius OGOUEBANDJA chancery: 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 - Gabon:
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 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
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)
Communications - Gabon:
Fiscal year	calendar year
Telephones main lines in use	36,500 (2006)
Telephones mobile cellular	764,700 (2006)
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)
Television broadcast stations	4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)
Internet country code	.ga
Internet hosts	322 (2006)
Internet users	81,000 (2006)
Transportation - Gabon:
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 (2006)
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 - Gabon:
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