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Gabon
Background :
Until recently, only two autocratic presidents had ruled Gabon since its independence from France in 1960. The recent president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - had dominated the country's political scene for 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 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. President BONGO died in June 2009. New elections in August 2009 brought Ali Ben BONGO, son of the former president, to power. 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 :
Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic Coordinates Center :
1 00 S, 11 45 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 8.70 |
| North | 2.32 |
| East | 14.50 |
| South | -3.98 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 267 667 | square km |
| land | 257 667 | square km |
| water | 10 000 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 2 551 | km |
| Cameroon (cm) | 298 | km |
| Republic of the Congo | 1 903 | km |
| Equatorial Guinea (gq) | 350 | km |
Coastline :
885.00 km
Climate :
tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain :
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 1 575 | metres |
Natural resources :
| diamonds | gold |
| hydropower | iron ore |
| manganese | natural gas |
| niobium | petroleum |
| timber | uranium |
Land use :
| arable land | 1.21 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.64 | % |
| other | 98.15 | % |
Irrigated land :
70 square km
Total renewable water resources :
164 cubic km
current issues :
deforestation; poaching
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Dumping |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Tropical Timber 83 | Tropical Timber 94 |
| Wetlands | Whaling |
Population :
1 514 993
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.93 | % |
| Birth rate | 35.57 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 4.65 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 12.76 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -3.48 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 42.10 | % |
| 15-64 years | 53.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.90 | % |
Median age :
| total | 18.60 | years |
| male | 18.40 | years |
| female | 18.90 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.72 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 51.78 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 53.11 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 52.19 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 54.05 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 5.90 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 49 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 2 300 |
Religions :
| Christian | 60.00 | % |
| animist | 25.00 | % |
| Muslim | 1.00 | % |
Languages :
| French | |
| Fang | |
| Myene | |
| Nzebi | |
| Bapounou/Eschira | |
| Bandjabi |
Literacy :
| total population | 63.20 | % |
| male | 73.70 | % |
| female | 53.30 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Gabonese Republic |
| conventional short form | Gabon |
| local long form | Republique Gabonaise |
| local short form | Gabon |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | GA |
| ISO Numeric | 266 |
| ISO3 | GAB |
| FIPS | GB |
| ccTLD | ga |
| English | Gabon |
Administrative divisions :
9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Capital :
| name | Libreville |
| geographic coordinates | 0 23 N, 9 27 E |
| time difference | 1.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACCT | ACP |
| AU | AfDB |
| BDEAC | CEMAC |
| FAO | FZ |
| G-24 | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IDB | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IMSO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO (correspondent) |
| ITSO | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| MIGA | MINURCAT |
| NAM | OIC |
| OIF | OPCW |
| UN | UN Security Council (temporary) |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNMIS |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1960-08-17
National holiday :
Independence Day
1960-08-17
Executive branch :
| President Ali BONGO Ondimba | Prime Minister Paul BIYOGHE MBA |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 20 810 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 10 940 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -2.80 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 13 700 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 5.40 | % |
| industry | 56.70 | % |
| services | 37.90 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 60.00 | % |
| industry | 15.00 | % |
| services | 25.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 21.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.00 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 33.70 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | 537 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 2 327 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 3 065 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 3.40 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 34.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.50 | % |
| highest 10% | 32.70 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 3 141 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 2 877 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| cattle | cocoa |
| coffee | fish |
| okoume | palm oil |
| rubber | sugar |
Industries :
| beverages | cement |
| chemicals | food |
| gold | lumbering |
| manganese | petroleum extraction and refining |
| plywood | ship repair |
| textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 1 774 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 1 446 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 247 800 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 14 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 227 300 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 4 185 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 2 000 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 90 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 90 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 28 320 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
5 868 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 28.20 | % |
| China (cn) | 21.20 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 11.30 | % |
| France (fr) | 6.20 | % |
| Spain (es) | 4.50 | % |
| Trinidad and Tobago (tt) | 4.40 | % |
Commodities :
| crude oil | manganese |
| timber | uranium |
Value :
2 296 000 000 $
Partners :
| France (fr) | 32.20 | % |
| United States (us) | 11.10 | % |
| China (cn) | 5.40 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 4.70 | % |
| Cameroon (cm) | 4.40 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | construction materials |
| foodstuffs | machinery and equipment |
Currency-code :
XAF
Currency-name :
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 26 500 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 1 300 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 7 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 4 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | ga | |
| Internet Hosts | 91 | |
| Internet Users | 90 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 13 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 240 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 858 | km |
| Roadways - total | 9 170 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 937 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 8 233 | km |
| Railways | 814 | km |
| Waterways | 1 600 | km |
Flag
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