2  definitions  found 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  Gabon 
  n  :  a  republic  in  west  central  Africa  [syn:  {Gabon},  {Gabun}] 
 
  From  The  CIA  World  Factbook  (1995)  [world95]: 
 
  Gabon 
 
  Gabon:Geography 
 
  Location:  Western  Africa,  bordering  the  Atlantic  Ocean  at  the  Equator, 
  between  Congo  and  Equatorial  Guinea 
 
  Map  references:  Africa 
 
  Area: 
  total  area:  267,670  sq  km 
  land  area:  257,670  sq  km 
  comparative  area:  slightly  smaller  than  Colorado 
 
  Land  boundaries:  total  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 
 
  International  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:  petroleum,  manganese,  uranium,  gold,  timber,  iron 
  ore 
 
  Land  use: 
  arable  land:  1% 
  permanent  crops:  1% 
  meadows  and  pastures:  18% 
  forest  and  woodland:  78% 
  other:  2% 
 
  Irrigated  land:  NA  sq  km 
 
  Environment: 
  current  issues:  deforestation;  poaching 
  natural  hazards:  NA 
  international  agreements:  party  to  -  Endangered  Species,  Marine 
  Dumping,  Nuclear  Test  Ban,  Ozone  Layer  Protection,  Ship  Pollution, 
  Tropical  Timber  83,  Wetlands;  signed,  but  not  ratified  -  Biodiversity, 
  Climate  Change,  Law  of  the  Sea,  Tropical  Timber  94 
 
  Gabon:People 
 
  Population:  1,155,749  (July  1995  est.) 
 
  Age  structure: 
  0-14  years:  34%  (female  193,859;  male  194,761) 
  15-64  years:  61%  (female  347,839;  male  359,997) 
  65  years  and  over:  5%  (female  30,218;  male  29,075)  (July  1995  est.) 
 
  Population  growth  rate:  1.46%  (1995  est.) 
 
  Birth  rate:  28.34  births/1,000  population  (1995  est.) 
 
  Death  rate:  13.72  deaths/1,000  population  (1995  est.) 
 
  Net  migration  rate:  0  migrant(s)/1,000  population  (1995  est.) 
 
  Infant  mortality  rate:  92.4  deaths/1,000  live  births  (1995  est.) 
 
  Life  expectancy  at  birth: 
  total  population:  55.14  years 
  male:  52.31  years 
  female:  58.06  years  (1995  est.) 
 
  Total  fertility  rate:  3.93  children  born/woman  (1995  est.) 
 
  Nationality: 
  noun:  Gabonese  (singular  and  plural) 
  adjective:  Gabonese 
 
  Ethnic  divisions:  Bantu  tribes  including  four  major  tribal  groupings 
  (Fang,  Eshira  Bapounou  Bateke),  other  Africans  and  Europeans 
  100,000,  including  27,000  French 
 
  Religions:  Christian  55%-75%,  Muslim  less  than  1%,  animist 
 
  Languages:  French  (official),  Fang,  Myene,  Bateke  Bapounou/Eschira, 
  Bandjabi 
 
  Literacy:  age  15  and  over  can  read  and  write  (1990  est.) 
  total  population:  61% 
  male:  74% 
  female:  48% 
 
  Labor  force:  120,000  salaried 
  by  occupation:  agriculture  65.0%,  industry  and  commerce  30.0%, 
  services  2.5%,  government  2.5% 
 
  Gabon:Government 
 
  Names: 
  conventional  long  form:  Gabonese  Republic 
  conventional  short  form:  Gabon 
  local  long  form:  Republique  Gabonaise 
  local  short  form:  Gabon 
 
  Digraph:  GB 
 
  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) 
 
  National  holiday:  Renovation  Day  12  March  (1968)  (Gabonese  Democratic 
  Party  established) 
 
  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;  compulsory  ICJ  jurisdiction  not  accepted 
 
  Suffrage:  21  years  of  age;  universal 
 
  Executive  branch: 
  chief  of  state:  President  El  Hadj  Omar  BONGO  (since  2  December  1967); 
  election  last  held  on  5  December  1993  (next  to  be  held  1998);  results 
  -  President  Omar  BONGO  was  reelected  with  51%  of  the  vote 
  head  of  government:  Prime  Minister  Paulin  OBAME  Nguema  (since  9 
  December  1994) 
  cabinet:  Council  of  Ministers;  appointed  by  the  prime  minister  in 
  consultation  with  the  president 
 
  Legislative  branch:  unicameral 
  National  Assembly  (Assemblee  Nationale):  elections  last  held  on  5 
  December  1993  (next  to  be  held  by  1998);  results  -  percent  of  vote  by 
  party  NA  seats  -  (120  total)  PDG  62,  Morena-Bucherons/RNB  19,  PGP  18, 
  National  Recovery  Movement  (Morena-Original)  7,  APSG  6,  USG  4,  CRP  1, 
  independents  3 
 
  Judicial  branch:  Supreme  Court  (Cour  Supreme) 
 
  Political  parties  and  leaders:  Gabonese  Democratic  Party  (PDG,  former 
  sole  party),  Jaques  ADIAHENOT  Secretary  General;  National  Recovery 
  Movement  -  Lumberjacks  (Morena-Bucherons/RNB),  Fr  Paul  M'BA-ABESSOLE, 
  leader;  Gabonese  Party  for  Progress  (PGP),  Pierre-Louis  AGONDHO-OKAWE, 
  President;  National  Recovery  Movement  (Morena-Original),  Pierre 
  ZONGUE-NGUEMA,  Chairman;  Association  for  Socialism  in  Gabon  (APSG), 
  leader  NA  Gabonese  Socialist  Union  (USG),  leader  NA  Circle  for 
  Renewal  and  Progress  (CRP),  leader  NA  Union  for  Democracy  and 
  Development  (UDD),  leader  NA  Rally  of  Democrats  (RD),  leader  NA 
  Forces  of  Change  for  Democratic  Union,  leader  NA 
 
  Member  of:  ACCT,  ACP,  AfDB  BDEAC  CCC,  CEEAC  ECA,  FAO,  FZ  G-24, 
  G-77,  GATT,  IAEA,  IBRD,  ICAO,  ICC,  ICFTU  IDA,  IDB,  IFAD,  IFC,  IFRCS 
  (associate),  ILO,  IMF,  IMO,  INMARSAT  INTELSAT,  INTERPOL,  IOC,  ITU, 
  NAM,  OAU,  OIC,  OPEC,  UDEAC  UN  UNCTAD  UNESCO,  UNIDO  UPU,  WCL,  WHO 
  WIPO,  WMO,  WTO 
 
  Diplomatic  representation  in  US: 
  chief  of  mission:  Ambassador  Paul  BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA 
  chancery:  2233  Wisconsin  Avenue  NW  Washington,  DC  20007,  Suite  200 
  telephone:  [1]  (202)  797-1000 
 
  US  diplomatic  representation: 
  chief  of  mission:  Ambassador  Joseph  C.  WILSON  IV 
  embassy:  Boulevard  de  la  Mer,  Libreville 
  mailing  address:  B.  P.  4000,  Libreville 
  telephone:  [241]  76  20  03  through  76  20  04,  74  34  92 
  FAX:  [241]  74  55  07 
 
  Flag:  three  equal  horizontal  bands  of  green  (top),  yellow,  and  blue 
 
  Economy 
 
  Overview:  Notwithstanding  its  serious  ongoing  economic  problems,  Gabon 
  enjoys  a  per  capita  income  more  than  twice  that  of  most  nations  of 
  sub-Saharan  Africa.  Gabon  depended  on  timber  and  manganese  until  oil 
  was  discovered  offshore  in  the  early  1970s.  The  oil  sector  now 
  accounts  for  50%  of  GDP.  Real  growth  was  feeble  in  1992  and  Gabon 
  continues  to  face  the  problem  of  fluctuating  prices  for  its  oil, 
  timber,  manganese,  and  uranium  exports.  Despite  an  abundance  of 
  natural  wealth,  and  a  manageable  rate  of  population  growth,  the 
  economy  is  hobbled  by  poor  fiscal  management.  In  1992,  the  fiscal 
  deficit  widened  to  2.4%  of  GDP,  and  Gabon  failed  to  settle  arrears  on 
  its  bilateral  debt,  leading  to  a  cancellation  of  rescheduling 
  agreements  with  official  and  private  creditors.  Devaluation  of  its 
  Francophone  currency  by  50%  in  January  1994  did  not  set  off  an 
  expected  inflationary  spiral  but  the  government  must  continue  to  keep 
  a  tight  reign  on  spending  and  wage  increases. 
 
  National  product:  GDP  -  purchasing  power  parity  -  $5.6  billion  (1994 
  est.) 
 
  National  product  real  growth  rate:  1.9%  (1994  est.) 
 
  National  product  per  capita:  $4,900  (1994  est.) 
 
  Inflation  rate  (consumer  prices):  35%  (1994  est.) 
 
  Unemployment  rate:  NA% 
 
  Budget: 
  revenues:  $1.3  billion 
  expenditures:  $1.6  billion,  including  capital  expenditures  of  $311 
  million  (1993  est.) 
 
  Exports:  $2.1  billion  (f.o.b.,  1993  est) 
  commodities:  crude  oil  80%,  timber  10%,  manganese  6%,  uranium  2% 
  partners:  US  38%,  France  26%,  Japan,  Germany 
 
  Imports:  $832  million  (c.i.f.,  1993  est.) 
  commodities:  foodstuffs,  chemical  products,  petroleum  products, 
  construction  materials,  manufactures,  machinery 
  partners:  France  42%,  African  countries  23%,  US  Japan 
 
  External  debt:  $3.3  billion  (1993  est.) 
 
  Industrial  production:  growth  rate  -3%  (1991) 
 
  Electricity: 
  capacity:  315,000  kW 
  production:  910  million  kWh 
  consumption  per  capita:  757  kWh  (1993) 
 
  Industries:  food  and  beverages,  lumbering  and  plywood,  textiles, 
  cement,  petroleum  refining,  mining  -  manganese,  uranium,  gold, 
  petroleum 
 
  Agriculture:  cash  crops  -  cocoa,  coffee,  palm  oil;  livestock  raising 
  not  developed;  importer  of  food;  small  fishing  operations  provide  a 
  catch  of  about  20,000  metric  tons;  okoume  (a  tropical  softwood)  is  the 
  most  important  timber  product 
 
  Economic  aid: 
  recipient:  US  commitments,  including  Ex-Im  (FY70-90),  $68  million; 
  Western  (non-US)  countries,  ODA  and  OOF  bilateral  commitments 
  (1970-90),  $2.342  billion;  Communist  countries  (1970-89),  $27  million 
 
  Currency:  1  CFA  franc  CFAF  =  100  centimes 
 
  Exchange  rates:  Communaute  Financiere  Africaine  francs  CFAF  per  US$1 
  -  529.43  (January  1995),  555.20  (1994),  283.16  (1993),  264.69  (1992), 
  282.11  (1991),  272.26  (1990) 
  note:  beginning  12  January  1994,  the  CFA  franc  was  devalued  to  CFAF 
  100  per  French  franc  from  CFAF  50  at  which  it  had  been  fixed  since 
  1948 
 
  Fiscal  year:  calendar  year 
 
  Gabon:Transportation 
 
  Railroads: 
  total:  649  km  single  track  (Transgabonese  Railroad) 
  standard  gauge:  649  km  1.437-m  gauge 
 
  Highways: 
  total:  7,500  km 
  paved:  560  km 
  unpaved:  crushed  stone  960  km  earth  5,980  km 
 
  Inland  waterways:  1,600  km  perennially  navigable 
 
  Pipelines:  crude  oil  270  km  petroleum  products  14  km 
 
  Ports:  Cape  Lopez,  Kango,  Lambarene  Libreville,  Owendo  Port-Gentil 
 
  Merchant  marine: 
  total:  1  cargo  ships  (1,000  GRT  or  over)  totaling  9,281  GRT/12,665  DWT 
 
  Airports: 
  total:  69 
  with  paved  runways  over  3,047  m:  1 
  with  paved  runways  2,438  to  3,047  m:  1 
  with  paved  runways  1,524  to  2,437  m:  7 
  with  paved  runways  914  to  1,523  m:  1 
  with  paved  runways  under  914  m:  28 
  with  unpaved  runways  1,524  to  2,438  m:  8 
  with  unpaved  runways  914  to  1,523  m:  23 
 
  Gabon:Communications 
 
  Telephone  system:  15,000  telephones;  telephone  density  -  13/1,000 
  persons 
  local:  NA 
  intercity:  adequate  system,  comprising  cable,  microwave  radio  relay, 
  tropospheric  scatter,  radiocommunication  stations,  and  12  domestic 
  satellite  links 
  international:  3  Atlantic  Ocean  INTELSAT  earth  stations 
 
  Radio: 
  broadcast  stations:  AM  6,  FM  6,  shortwave  0 
  radios:  NA 
 
  Television: 
  broadcast  stations:  3  (repeaters  5) 
  televisions:  NA 
 
  Gabon:Defense  Forces 
 
  Branches:  Army,  Navy,  Air  Force,  Presidential  Guard,  National 
  Gendarmerie,  National  Police 
 
  Manpower  availability:  males  age  15-49  272,025;  males  fit  for  military 
  service  138,197;  males  reach  military  age  (20)  annually  10,516  (1995 
  est.) 
 
  Defense  expenditures:  exchange  rate  conversion  -  $154  million,  2.4%  of 
  GDP  (1993) 
 
 
 

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