Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Conference of East and Central
African States, EAMA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean Robert ODZAGA; Chancery at 2034 20th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-1000; US—Ambassador Keith L. WAUCHOPE; Embassy at Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville (mailing address is B. P. 4000, Libreville); telephone 762003 or 762004, 761337, 721348, 740248
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
- Economy Overview: The economy, dependent on timber and manganese until the early 1970s, is now dominated by the oil sector. During the period 1981-85 oil accounted for about 46% of GDP, 83% of export earnings, and 65% of government revenues on average. The high oil prices of the early 1980s contributed to a substantial increase in per capita income, stimulated domestic demand, reinforced migration from rural to urban areas, and raised the level of real wages to among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The three-year slide of Gabon's economy, which began with falling oil prices in 1985, stabilized in 1989 because of a near doubling of oil prices over their 1988 lows. The agricultural and industrial sectors are relatively underdeveloped, accounting for only 8% and 10%, respectively, of GDP in 1986.
GDP: $3.2 billion, per capita $3,200; real growth rate 0% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1989)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $927 million; expenditures $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $33 million (1988)
Exports: $1.14 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—crude oil 70%, manganese 11%, wood 12%, uranium 6%; partners—France 53%, US 22%, FRG, Japan
Imports: $0.76 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—foodstuffs, chemical products, petroleum products, construction materials, manufactures, machinery; partners—France 48%, US 2.6%, FRG, Japan, UK