El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009) following independence from France in 1960. 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. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, new elections brought Ali BONGO Ondimba, son of the former president, to power. Despite constrained political conditions, Gabon's small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make it one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.

Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Africa

total: 267,667 sq km
country comparison to the world: 77
land: 257,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km

slightly smaller than Colorado

total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

885 km

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

tropical; always hot, humid

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

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

arable land: 1.21%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 98.15% (2011)

44.5 sq km (2003)

164 cu km (2011)

total: 0.14 cu km/yr (61%/10%/29%)
per capita: 97.68 cu m/yr (2005)

NA

deforestation; poaching

party to: 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese

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

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

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

1,640,286 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

0-14 years: 42.1% (male 347,203/female 344,008)
15-24 years: 20.3% (male 166,328/female 165,843)
25-54 years: 29.7% (male 243,111/female 243,442)
55-64 years: 4.1% (male 32,871/female 34,692)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 26,627/female 36,161) (2013 est.)

total dependency ratio: 77.4 %
youth dependency ratio: 68.3 %
elderly dependency ratio: 9.2 %
potential support ratio: 10.9 (2013)

total: 18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.8 years (2013 est.)

1.96% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55

34.82 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

13.11 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20

-2.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

urban population: 86.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.27% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

LIBREVILLE (capital) 619,000 (2009)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

20.3
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.)

230 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 51

total: 48.02 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 44
male: 55.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 40.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 52.15 years
country comparison to the world: 214
male: 51.58 years
female: 52.74 years (2013 est.)

4.52 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

31.1% (2012)

3.2% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 179

0.29 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

6.3 beds/1,000 population (2010)

5.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14

46,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59

2,400 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and dengue fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

13.9% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 124

8.8% (2001)
country comparison to the world: 70

NA

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89%
male: 92.3%
female: 85.6% (2011 est.)

total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2002)

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

republic; multiparty presidential regime

name: Libreville
geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

17 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

previous 1961; latest drafted May 1990, adopted 15 March 1991, promulgated 26 March 1991; amended several times, last in 2003 (2011)

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Ali BONGO ONDIMBA (since 16 October 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Daniel ONA ONDO (since 27 January 2014)
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 on 30 August 2009 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Ali BONGO ONDIMBA elected; percent of vote - Ali BONGO ONDIMBA 41.7%, Andre MBA OBAME 25.9%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 25.2%, Zacharie MYBOTO 3.9%, other 3.3%
note: President BONGO died on 8 June 2009 after serving as president for 32 years; in accordance with the constitution he was replaced on an interim basis by the president of the Senate, Rose Francine ROGOMBE on 10 June 2009; new elections were held on 30 August 2009 and the son of the former president, Ali BONGO Ondimba, was elected president

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (102 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 on 18 January 2009 (next to be held in January 2015); National Assembly - last held on 17 December 2011 (next to be held in December 2016)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 75, RPG 6, UGDD 3, CLR 2, PGCI 2, PSD 2, UPG 2, ADERE 1, independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 114, RPG 3, others 3

highest court(s): Supreme Court (organized into Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts chambers and consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointment and tenure 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 7-year, single renewable terms
subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; county courts; military courts

Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]

NA

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael MOUSSA-ADAMO (since 2 September 2011)
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668
consulate(s): New York

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Dante PARADISO; note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville
mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville; pouch:2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270
telephone: [241] 01-45-71-00, after hours - 07380171
FAX: [241] 74 55 07

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue; green represents the country's forests and natural resources, gold represents the equator (which transects Gabon) as well as the sun, blue represents the sea

black panther

name: "La Concorde" (The Concorde)
lyrics/music: Georges Aleka DAMAS
note: adopted 1960

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most 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 economy was reliant on oil for about 50% of its GDP, about 70% of revenues, and 87% of goods exports for 2010, although some fields have passed their peak production. A rebound of oil prices from 1999 to 2008 helped growth, but declining production has hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2007, and later that year issued a $1 billion sovereign bond to buy back a sizable portion of its Paris Club debt. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management has stifled the economy. However, President BONGO ONDIMBA has made efforts to increase transparency and is taking steps to make Gabon a more attractive investment destination to diversify the economy. BONGO ONDIMBA has attempted to boost growth by increasing government investment in human resources and infrastructure. GDP grew more than 6% per year over the 2010-12 period.

$27.81 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$18.15 billion (2012 est.)

5.6% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49

$18,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

47.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6

household consumption: 37.3%
government consumption: 9.8%
investment in fixed capital: 30.3%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 61.2%
imports of goods and services: -38.7%

agriculture: 3.7%
industry: 64.3%
services: 32% (2012 est.)

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

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

6.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38

616,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

agriculture: 60%
industry: 15%
services: 25% (2000 est.)

21% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164

NA%

lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 32.7% (2005)

revenues: $4.987 billion
expenditures: $4.623 billion (2012 est.)

27.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24

22.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126

calendar year

2.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78

3% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88

15% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43

$2.552 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121

$3.918 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

$1.672 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135

$NA

$2.687 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35

$10.2 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium

Japan 24.1%, US 17%, Australia 11.3%, India 7.4%, China 5.4%, Spain 4.1% (2012)

$3.638 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

France 28.2%, China 12.6%, US 9.4%, Belgium 5.8%, Cameroon 4.3% (2012)

$2.373 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119

$3.196 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -

1.777 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

1.442 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191

415,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

59% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

41% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175

242,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37

225,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189

2 billion bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 36

19,280 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94

15,800 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

7,670 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85

4,594 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159

70 million cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84

80 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 70

4.758 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

17,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 194

2.93 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 133

general assessment: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
domestic: a growing mobile-cellular network with multiple providers is making telephone service more widely available with mobile-cellular teledensity exceeding 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

state owns and operates 2 TV stations and 2 radio broadcast stations; a few private radio and TV stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible; satellite service subscriptions are available (2007)

.ga

127 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 205

98,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 160

44 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 99

total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)

total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m:

gas 807 km; oil 1,639 km; water 3 km (2013)

total: 649 km
country comparison to the world: 105
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

total: 9,170 km
country comparison to the world: 138
paved: 1,097 km
unpaved: 8,073 km (2007)

1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 49

registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 145

major seaport(s): Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil
oil/gas terminal(s): Gamba, Lucina

Gabonese Defense Forces (Forces de Defense Gabonaise): Land Force (Force Terrestre), Gabonese Navy (Marine Gabonaise), Gabonese Air Forces (Forces Aerienne Gabonaises, FAG) (2012)

20 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

males age 16-49: 350,640
females age 16-49: 351,718 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 202,404
females age 16-49: 195,389 (2010 est.)

male: 17,638
female: 17,614 (2010 est.)

1.34% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 237