Gabon

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

• 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, as shown in this population distribution map

noun:

Gabonese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Gabonese

total:

22.3 years (2025 est.)

male:

22.5 years

female:

21.5 years

• 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, as shown in this population distribution map

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.11 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.03 male(s)/female

total population:

1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

26 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

29.7 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

24 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

70.4 years (2024 est.)

male:

68.6 years

female:

72.1 years

total:

6.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

5.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

women married by age 15:

2.9% (2021)

women married by age 18:

13.3% (2021)

men married by age 18:

4.8% (2021)

• deforestation from logging;
• solid-waste disposal;
• water pollution from oil industry;
• wildlife poaching

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

91% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

272.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

4.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

18.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

5.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

238,100 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

22.4% (2022 est.)

municipal:

84.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

14.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

40.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Gabonese Republic

conventional short form:

Gabon

local long form:

République Gabonaise

local short form:

Gabon

etymology:

name originates from the Portuguese word gabão, meaning "cloak," possibly used by early explorers to describe the shape of the Komo River estuary

name:

Libreville

geographic coordinates:

0 23 N, 9 27 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the city was founded in 1849 by freed slaves, and the name means "free town" in French

history:

previous 1961, 1991; latest approved in November 2024 referendum

amendment process:

• 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

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

legislature name:

Parliament

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)

number of seats:

145 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

plurality/majority

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

10/6/2023

percentage of women in chamber:

21.6%

expected date of next election:

November 2030

chamber name:

Senate (Senate)

number of seats:

70 (all indirectly elected)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

9/27/2025 to 10/11/2025

percentage of women in chamber:

20.3%

expected date of next election:

November 2025

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 4 permanent specialized supreme courts - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation, Administrative Supreme Court or Conseil d'Etat, 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

• Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG
• Restoration of Republican Values or RV
• The Democrats or LD
• Paul Mba Abessole

chief of mission:

Ambassador Noël Nelson MESSONE (12 December 2022)

chancery:

2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-1000

FAX:

[1] (301) 332-0668

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://gabonembassyusa.org/en/

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Vernelle Trim FITZPATRICK (since 26 January 2024); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe

embassy:

Sabliere, B.P. 4000, Libreville

mailing address:

2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270

telephone:

[241] 011-45-71-00

FAX:

[241] 011-45-71-05

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ga.usembassy.gov/

description:

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

meaning:

green stands for the country's forests and natural resources, gold for the equator and the sun, and blue for the sea

• the panthers represent vigilance and courage, and they support a shield with a ship and an okoume tree, which is a symbol of the timber trade;
• the ribbon below the shield has the national motto in French, Union, Travail, Justice ("Union, Work, Justice"), and the ribbon above the shield has the Latin phrase Uniti Progrediemur ("We shall go forward united")

title:

"La Concorde" (The Concorde)

lyrics/music:

Georges Aleka DAMAS

history:

adopted 1960

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (m); Ivindo National Park (n)

• natural-resource-rich, upper-middle-income, Central African economy;
• significant reliance on oil and mineral exports;
• highly urbanized population;
• high levels of poverty and unemployment;
• uncertainty on institutional and development reform progress following 2023 military coup

agriculture:

6.2% (2024 est.)

industry:

50.9% (2024 est.)

services:

37.5% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

• petroleum extraction and refining;
• manganese, gold;
• chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

total:

36% (2024 est.)

male:

31.1% (2024 est.)

female:

42.3% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2.2% (2017 est.)

highest 10%:

27.7% (2017 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

total petroleum production:

204,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

2 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

463 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

463 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

25.995 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• 2 state-run TV stations and 2 state-run radio stations;
• a few private radio and TV stations;
• transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible;
• satellite service subscriptions are available

total:

649 km (2014)

standard gauge:

649 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

total ports:

9 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

2

small:

2

very small:

5

ports with oil terminals:

7

key ports:

Libreville, Oguendjo Terminal, Port Gentil, Port Owendo

• the Gabonese military has a mix of older and limited quantities of more modern armaments;
• suppliers include
  • Brazil,
  • China,
  • France,
  • Germany,
  • Russia/former Soviet Union,
  • South Africa,
  • and Spain (2025)

• the Gabonese military is a small and lightly armed force that is responsible for both external and internal security;
• the military may also participate in the economic and social development work of the nation;
• key defense priorities include securing the country's borders and maritime domain;
• it has contributed to regional peacekeeping and joint security operations;
• in August 2023, officers from the Republican Guard seized control of the government and placed the president under arrest (2025)

• has a small space program focused on using data from remote sensing (RS) satellites for environmental and natural-resource management, mapping, land-use planning, maritime surveillance, and research;
• member of the African Space Agency;
• has relationships with Brazil, China, the ESA, individual ESA member states (particularly France), and the US, as well as African countries such as Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, and South Africa;
• shares RS satellite data with neighboring countries (2025)

• 1986 - ESA established a ground station in Gabon
• 2018 - completed mapping Gabon’s forests
• 2019 - founding member of the Space Climate Observatory
• 2021 - began acquisition process for first satellite in joint project with Japan, known as BIRDs
• 2025 - became member of new African Space Agency