Gabon
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Gabon is a nation located in west-central Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Gabon's major environmnetal issues include: deforesting and poaching.
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 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 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's 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.
Geography
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
Area: 267,667 km2 (257,667 km2 land and 10,000 km2water)
arable land: 1.21%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 98.15% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 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
Natural Hazards: NA
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south. Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Mont Iboundji (1,575 metres)
Climate: Tropical; always hot, humid
Government
Type: Republic; multiparty presidential regime
Capital: Libreville
Independence Date: 17 August 1960 (from France)
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
International Environmental Agreements
Gabon is party to international agreements on: 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, and Whaling.
Population and Society
Population: 1,485,832
Age Structure
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 314,078/female 311,900)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 399,586/female 401,602)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,388/female 34,278) (2008 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.954% (2008 est.)
Birthrate: 35.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 53.52 years (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 4.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy (1995 est.): 63.2% (male: 73.7% - female: 53.3%)
Water
Total Water Renewable Resources: 164 cu km (1987)
Fresh Water Withdrawal: Total: 0.12 cu km/yr (50% domestic, 8% industrial, 42% agricultural). Per capita: 87 cu m/yr (2000)
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Irrigated Land: 70 sq km (2003)
Resouces
Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower.
Energy
| Energy in Gabon | |||||
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity | 1.52 billion kWh (2005) | 1.241 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) | |
| Oil | 266,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 13,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 228,000 bbl/day (2004) | 2,436 bbl/day (2004) | 1.748 billion bbl (2007 est.) |
| Natural Gas | 95.91 million cu m (2005 est.) | 95.91 million cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005) | 32.59 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
Health
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: 8.1% (2003 est.).
Major Infectious Diseases: degree of risk: very high from food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)
Conflict
International Disputes: 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(country of origin): 7,178 (Republic of Congo) (2007)
Economy
Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. but 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. The devaluation of the CFA franc - 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 since 1999 have helped growth, but drops in production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains, and will continue to temper the gains for most of this decade. 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): $20.18 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $11.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP- real growth rate: 5.6% (2007 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP) : $14,100 (2007 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 58.2%
services: 36% (2007 est.)
Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement
Exports: crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)
Export Partners: US 31.5%, China 15.1%, France 9.1%, Malaysia 5.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8% (2006)
Imports: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Import Partners: France 28.1%, US 19.3%, Belgium 5.3%, Netherlands 4.8%, China 4.1% (2006)
Economic Aid Recipient: $53.87 million (2005)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
Ports and Terminals: Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Port-Gentil
Further Reading