Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine:
12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 192,752 GRT/334,400 DWT; includes 1
cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 1
liquefied gas, 2 bulk, 1 multifunction large load carrier; note - a captive
subset of the French register
Telecommunications:
NA
:French Southern and Antarctic Lands Defense Forces
Branches:
French Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force)
Note:
defense is the responsibility of France
:Gabon Geography
Total area:
267,670 km2
Land area:
257,670 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries:
2,551 km; Cameroon 298 km, 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
Disputes:
maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed
sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
Climate:
tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Natural resources:
crude oil, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and
woodland 78%; other 2%
Environment:
deforestation
:Gabon People
Population:
1,106,355 (July 1992), growth rate 1.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
29 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
100 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
51 years male, 56 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Gabonese (singular and plural); adjective - Gabonese
Ethnic divisions:
about 40 Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira,
Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000 expatriate Africans and Europeans,
including 27,000 French
Religions:
Christian 55-75%, Muslim less than 1%, remainder animist
Languages:
French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy:
61% (male 74%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
120,000 salaried; agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services
2.5%, government 2.5%; 58% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor:
there are 38,000 members of the national trade union, the Gabonese Trade
Union Confederation (COSYGA)
:Gabon Government
Long-form name:
Gabonese Republic
Type:
republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 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)
Constitution:
21 February 1961, revised 15 April 1975
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of
legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction not accepted
National holiday:
Renovation Day (Gabonese Democratic Party established), 12 March (1968)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Casimir OYE-MBA (since 3 May 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG, former sole party), El Hadj Omar BONGO,
president; National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons);
Gabonese Party for Progress (PGP); National Recovery Movement
(Morena-Original); Association for Socialism in Gabon (APSG); Gabonese
Socialist Union (USG); Circle for Renewal and Progress (CRP); Union for
Democracy and Development (UDD)
Suffrage:
universal at age 21
Elections:
National Assembly:
last held on 28 October 1990 (next to be held by NA); results - percent of
vote NA; seats - (120 total, 111 elected) PDG 62, National Recovery Movement
- Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons) 19, PGP 18, National Recovery Movement
(Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3
President:
last held on 9 November 1986 (next to be held December 1993); results -
President Omar BONGO was reelected without opposition
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS (associate), NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador-designate Alexandre SAMBAT; Chancery at 2034 20th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-1000
:Gabon Government