Gabon

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.ga

Internet users

total: 164,800 | percent of population: 9.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 7 (plus 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)

Telephone system

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)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 17,200 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 190

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 3.6 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 215 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Television broadcast stations

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $5.263 billion | expenditures: $5.487 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Central bank discount rate

3% (31 December 2010) | 4.25% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 106

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15% (31 December 2014 est.) | 15% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Current account balance

$1.51 billion (2014 est.) | $2.156 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Debt - external

$4.736 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $4.316 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Economy - overview

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 2013 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 has made efforts to increase transparency and is taking steps to make Gabon a more attractive investment destination to diversify the economy. BONGO has attempted to boost growth by increasing government investment in human resources and infrastructure. GDP grew nearly 6% per year over the 2010-14 period.

Exchange rates

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.) | 495.28 (2010 est.)

Exports

$8.872 billion (2014 est.) | $8.946 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Exports - commodities

crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium

Exports - partners

China 15.8%, Japan 14.6%, Australia 11%, US 7.9%, India 7.8%, South Korea 6.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$18.21 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$32.91 billion (2014 est.) | $31.55 billion (2013 est.) | $29.87 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 123

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 36.4% | government consumption: 17.3% | investment in fixed capital: 28% | investment in inventories: 2.6% | exports of goods and services: 51% | imports of goods and services: -35.3% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 3.6% | industry: 42.9% | services: 53.5% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$20,800 (2014 est.) | $19,900 (2013 est.) | $18,800 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 84

GDP - real growth rate

4.3% (2014 est.) | 5.6% (2013 est.) | 5.3% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Gross national saving

35% of GDP (2014 est.) | 38.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | 39.2% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 13

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$3.089 billion (2014 est.) | $2.938 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

Imports - partners

France 20%, Cote d'Ivoire 15.3%, China 9.6%, US 9.3%, Algeria 5.1%, Belgium 4.5% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.3% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.5% (2014 est.) | 0.5% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Labor force

640,300 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

28.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | 26.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.495 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.018 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116

Stock of broad money

$4.545 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $4.421 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133

Stock of domestic credit

$2.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $2.35 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Stock of narrow money

$2.448 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $3.011 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Taxes and other revenues

28.9% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Unemployment rate

21% (2006 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

5.437 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Crude oil - exports

226,800 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 194

Crude oil - production

240,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Crude oil - proved reserves

2 billion bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Electricity - consumption

1.68 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Electricity - from fossil fuels

59% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

41% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 96

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Electricity - installed generating capacity

415,000 kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity - production

2.111 billion kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Natural gas - consumption

384 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 200

Natural gas - production

384 million cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 71

Natural gas - proved reserves

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Refined petroleum products - consumption

18,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Refined petroleum products - exports

5,678 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Refined petroleum products - imports

5,042 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Refined petroleum products - production

18,750 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Colorado

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Coastline

885 km

Elevation extremes

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

Environment - current issues

deforestation; poaching

Environment - international agreements

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

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

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

44.5 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 3,261 km | border countries (3): Cameroon 349 km, Republic of the Congo 2,567 km, Equatorial Guinea 345 km

Land use

agricultural land: 18.1% | arable land 1.2%; permanent crops 0.6%; permanent pasture 17.2% | forest: 81% | other: 0% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

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

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

164 cu km (2011)

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

Citizenship

birthright citizenship: no, unless at least one parent is a citizen of Gabon | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

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

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Cythia Akuetteh (since 13 August 2014); 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Baudelaire Ndong ELLA (since 31 July 2015) | chancery: 2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009 | telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 | FAX: [1] (301) 332-0668 | consulate(s): New York

Executive branch

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/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-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: Ali BONGO Ondimba elected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 41.7%, Andre MBA OBAME (independent) 25.9%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU (UPG) 25.2%, Zacharie MYBOTO (UGDD) 3.9%, other 3.3%; note

Flag description

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

Government type

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Independence

17 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (102 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal councils and departmental assemblies by absolute majority vote in two rounds; members serve 6-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 5-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, independent 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 114, RPG 3, other 3

National anthem

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

National symbol(s)

black panther; national colors: green, yellow, blue

Political parties and leaders

Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean-Boniface ASSELE] | Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [DIDJOB Divungui di Ndinge] | Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Ali BONGO Ondimba] | Independent Center Party of Gabon or PGCI [Luccheri GAHILA] | National Rally of Woodcutters-Democratic or RNB-D [Pierre Andre KOMBILA] | Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU] | Union for the New Republic or UPRN [Louis Gaston MAYILA] | Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Richard MOULOMBA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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 December 2002 and the presidential election in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, a new election 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 stable African countries.

Manpower available for military service

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

Manpower fit for military service

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

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

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

Military branches

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

Military expenditures

1.34% of GDP (2012) | NA% (2011) | 1.34% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 76

Military service age and obligation

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.06% (male 360,412/female 356,787) | 15-24 years: 20.29% (male 173,395/female 172,678) | 25-54 years: 29.66% (male 253,304/female 252,493) | 55-64 years: 4.2% (male 34,561/female 37,108) | 65 years and over: 3.79% (male 27,621/female 36,977) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

34.49 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

6.5% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 79

Contraceptive prevalence rate

31.1% (2012)

Death rate

13.12 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 73.1% | youth dependency ratio: 64.3% | elderly dependency ratio: 8.8% | potential support ratio: 11.3% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 97.2% of population | rural: 66.7% of population | total: 93.2% of population | urban: 2.8% of population | rural: 33.3% of population | total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

3.91% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,500 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

47,500 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Health expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 173

Hospital bed density

6.3 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 46.07 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 53.11 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 38.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 43

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 52.04 years | male: 51.56 years | female: 52.53 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 217

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 83.2% | male: 85.3% | female: 81% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

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)

Major urban areas - population

LIBREVILLE (capital) 707,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

291 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 50

Median age

total: 18.6 years | male: 18.4 years | female: 18.8 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-2.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

15.8% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 124

Population

1,705,336 | 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 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Population growth rate

1.93% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

urban: 43.4% of population | rural: 31.5% of population | total: 41.9% of population | urban: 56.6% of population | rural: 68.5% of population | total: 58.1% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

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: 0.93 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female | total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.46 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 35.7% | male: 30.6% | female: 41.9% (2010 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 87.2% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

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

Airports

44 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 99

Airports - with paved runways

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)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 30 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 | 914 to 1,523 m: 9 | 14 (2013)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 140

Pipelines

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

Ports and terminals

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

Railways

total: 649 km | standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 106

Roadways

total: 9,170 km | paved: 1,097 km | unpaved: 8,073 km (2007) | country comparison to the world: 139

Waterways

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