Gabon

Gabonese RepublicRepublique Gabonaise

republicIndependence 17 August 1960 (from France)

Gabon as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 76 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLibreville

Area267,670 km2

LocationWestern Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator between the

Populationas each edition published it

1.12 million July 1993 est. · 1.07m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.45% 1993 est. · 2.35% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 18.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

54.19 years 1993 est. · 70.4 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.02 children per woman 1993 est. · 4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

97.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 106 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,200 1991 est. · $18,900 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

13% 1990 est. · 3.4% in 2025

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 267,670 km2

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

Area

267,670km2

land area: 257,670 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado

Coastline

885km

contiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

2,551km

total · Cameroon 298 km, Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Location

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

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

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

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

People

14 fields

Population

1,122,550

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.45% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

28.63Death

14.08Net migration

Labor force

120,000salaried

by occupation: agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%, government 2.5%note: 58% of population of working age (1983)

Literacy

15and over can read and write

age · (1990)total population: 61%male: 74%female: 48%

Infant mortality rate

97.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:: 54.19 years
male:: 51.46 years female: 57.01 years (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective:: Gabonese

Ethnic divisions

Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), Africans and Europeans 100,000, including 27,000 French

Religions

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

Languages

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

Government

Republic

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Names

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

Type

republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)

Administrative divisions

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

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

National holiday

Renovation Day, 12 March (1968) (Gabonese Democratic Party established)

Political parties and leaders

Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG, former sole party), El Hadj Omar BONGO, president;
National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons);
Gabonese Party for Progress (PGP);
National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original);
Association for Socialism in Gabon (APSG);
Gabonese Socialist Union (USG);
Circle for Renewal and Progress (CRP);
Union for Democracy and Development (UDD)

Elections

National Assembly:: last held on 28 October 1990 (next to be held by NA);
results - percent of vote NA;
seats - (120 total, 111 elected) PDG 62, National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons) 19, PGP 18, National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3
President:: last held on 9 November 1986 (next to be held December 1993); results - President Omar BONGO was reelected without opposition

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Leaders

Chief of State:: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Casimir OYE-MBA (since 3 May 1990)

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS (associate), NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: (vacant)
chancery:: 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:: (202) 797-1000

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador John C. WILSON IV
embassy:: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address:: B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone:: (241) 762003/4, or 743492
FAX:: [241] 745-507

Flag

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

Economy

The economy, dependent on timber and manganese until the early 1970s, is now | dominated by the oil sector.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$4,200

(1991 est.)

Real growth rate

13%

(1990 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate - 10% (1988 est.); accounts for 45% of GDP, including petroleum

Inflation, consumer prices

0.7%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$4.4billion

(1991)

Budget

Revenues

$1.4 billionExpenditures

$1.4 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $247 million (1990 est.)

Overview

The economy, dependent on timber and manganese until the early 1970s, is now dominated by the oil sector. In 1981-85, oil accounted for about 45% of GDP, 80% of export earnings, and 65% of government revenues on average. The high oil prices of the early 1980s contributed to a substantial increase in per capita national income, stimulated domestic demand, reinforced migration from rural to urban areas, and raised the level of real wages to among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The subsequent slide of Gabon's economy, which began with falling oil prices in 1985, was reversed in 1989-90, but debt servicing obligations continue to limit prospects for further domestic development. Real growth in 1991-92 was weak because of a combination of an overstaffed bureaucracy, a large budget deficit, and the continued underdevelopment of the whole economy outside the petroleum sector.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $4.6 billion (1991)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:: crude oil 80%, manganese 7%, wood 7%, uranium 2%
partners:: France 48%, US 15%, Germany 2%, Japan 2%

Imports

$702 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)

commodities:: foodstuffs, chemical products, petroleum products, construction materials, manufactures, machinery
partners:: France 64%, African countries 7%, US 5%, Japan 3%

Electricity

315,000 kW capacity; 995 million kWh produced, 920 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

petroleum, food and beverages, lumbering and plywood, textiles, mining - manganese, uranium, gold, cement

Agriculture

accounts for 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry);
cash crops - cocoa, coffee, palm oil;
livestock not developed;
importer of food;
small fishing operations provide a catch of about 20,000 metric tons;
okoume (a tropical softwood) is the most important timber product

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $68 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $2,342 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $27 million

Communications

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Networkskm

Highways

7,500Inland waterways

1,600

Highways: ; 560 km paved, 960 km laterite, 5,980 km earth

total:: 68
usable:: 56
with permanent-surface runways:: 10
with runways over 3,659 m:: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 22

Telecommunications

adequate system of cable, radio relay, tropospheric scatter links and radiocommunication stations;
15,000 telephones;
broadcast stations - 6 AM, 6 FM, 3 (5 repeaters) TV;
satellite earth stations - 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 12 domestic satellite