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 Gabon Travel Tips
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Find important informations
about Gabon
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| OVERVIEW |
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The earliest humans in Gabon were believed to be the Babinga, or Pygmies, dating back to 7000 B.C., who were later followed by Bantu groups from southern and eastern Africa. Now there are many tribal groups in the country, the largest being the Fang peoples, who constitute 25% of the population.
Gabon was first explored by the Portuguese navigator Diego Cam in the 15th century. In 1472, the Portuguese explorers encountered the mouth of the Como River and named it “Rio de Gabao,” river of Gabon, which later became the name of the country. The Dutch began arriving in 1593, and the French in 1630. In 1839, the French founded their first settlement on the left bank of the Gabon estuary and gradually occupied the hinterland during the second half of the 19th century. The land became a French territory in 1888, an autonomous republic within the French Union after World War II, and an independent republic on Aug. 17, 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 contry's political scene for almost 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.
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| GEOGRAPHY |
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This West African country with the Atlantic as its western border is also bounded by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Congo. Its area is slightly less than Colorado's. Most of the country is covered by a dense tropical forest.
Location: |
Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea |
Coordinates: |
1 00 S, 11 45 E |
Area: |
total: 267,667 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km |
Area comparative: |
slightly smaller than Colorado |
Land boundaries: |
total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km |
Coastline: |
885 km |
Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Climate: |
tropical; always hot, humid |
Terrain: |
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m |
Natural resources: |
petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower |
Environment current issues: |
deforestation; poaching |
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 |
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| POPULATION |
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Population: |
1,424,906
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 300,914/female 299,141)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 383,137/female 384,876)
65 years and over: 4% (male 23,576/female 33,262) |
Median age: |
18.6 years |
Growth rate: |
2.13% |
Infant mortality: |
54.51 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 54.49 years
male: 53.21 years
female: 55.81 years |
Fertility rate: |
4.74 children born/woman |
Nationality: |
noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese |
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 |
Religions: |
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% |
Languages: |
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi |
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% |
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| GOVERNMENT |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
local long form: Republique Gabonaise |
Government type: |
republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) |
Capital: |
Libreville |
Administrative divisions: |
9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem |
Independence: |
17 August 1960 (from France) |
National holiday: |
Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) |
Constitution: |
adopted 14 March 1991 |
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 |
Executive branch: |
chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba
head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG
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); prime minister appointed by the president. |
Legislative branch: |
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms). |
Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts |
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| ECONOMY |
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Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet, 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. Devaluation of 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 in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains.
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $8.047 billion; per capita $5,800. Real growth rate: 2.1%. Inflation: 1.5%. Unemployment: 21% (1997 est.). Arable land: 1%. Agriculture: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish. Labor force: 640,000; agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25%. Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower. Exports: $5.813 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001). Imports: $1.533 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials. Major trading partners: U.S., China, France, UK (2004).
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