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Gabon Country Guide
Explore Gabon in Africa
Gabon with the capital city Libreville is located in Africa (Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator). It covers some 267,667 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Colorado) with 1,484,000 citizens.
The landscape offers narrow coastal plain with hilly interior and savanna in east and south. The average density of population is approximately 6 per km². The notable climate conditions in Gabon can be described as tropical with always hot, humid. Potential threats by nature are NA.
To reach someone in Gabon dial +241 prior to a number. There are 26,500 installed telephones. And there are 1,373,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".ga". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Gabon
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.
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 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO''s death in 2009, new elections 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 prosperous and stable African countries.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo Capital: Libreville |
| Size | 267,667 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 103,346 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Colorado |
| Population | 1,484,000 |
| Currency | Name Franc, Currency Code:XAF |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .ga |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +241 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 1,373,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 26,500 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 267,667 (sq km) | 77 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,640,286 | 153 |
| Population growth rate | 1.96 (%) | 54 |
| Birth rate | 34.82 (births/1,000 population) | 28 |
| Death rate | 13.11 (deaths/1,000 population) | 20 |
| Net migration rate | -2.11 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 164 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 230.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 49 |
| Infant mortality rate | 48.02 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 44 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 52.15 (years) | 214 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.52 (children born/woman) | 29 |
| Health expenditures | 3.50 (% of GDP) | 175 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 5.20 (%) | 14 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 46,000 | 59 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 2,400 | 52 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 13.90 (%) | 124 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 8.80 (%) | 70 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 25,910,000,000 | 121 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 6.20 (%) | 45 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 16,800 | 80 |
| Labor force | 756,200 | 150 |
| Unemployment rate | 21.00 (%) | 164 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 32.50 (% of GDP) | 17 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 29.40 (% of GDP) | 96 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 6.10 (% of GDP) | 12 |
| Public debt | 23.00 (% of GDP) | 126 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.70 (%) | 62 |
| Central bank discount rate | 4.25 (%) | 89 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 15.00 (%) | 43 |
| Stock of narrow money | 2,680,000,000 | 118 |
| Stock of broad money | 3,918,000,000 | 133 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 1,950,000,000 | 138 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4.80 (%) | 63 |
| Current account balance | 3,747,000,000 | 31 |
| Exports | 10,820,000,000 | 93 |
| Imports | 3,496,000,000 | 141 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 2,430,000,000 | 118 |
| Debt - external | 2,758,000,000 | 135 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 1,604,000,000 (kWh) | 140 |
| Electricity - consumption | 1,301,000,000 (kWh) | 147 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 415,000 (kW) | 142 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 59.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 138 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 41.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 54 |
| Crude oil - production | 244,700 (bbl/day) | 37 |
| Crude oil - exports | 226,800 (bbl/day) | 30 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 1,309,000,000 (bbl) | 39 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 20,700 (bbl/day) | 97 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 15,800 (bbl/day) | 142 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 8,985 (bbl/day) | 88 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 5,890 (bbl/day) | 150 |
| Natural gas - production | 80,000,000 (cu m) | 81 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 80,000,000 (cu m) | 107 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 28,320,000,000 (cu m) | 73 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 4,592,000 (Mt) | 126 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 22,500 | 187 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,800,000 | 145 |
| Internet hosts | 127 | 206 |
| Internet users | 98,800 | 160 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 45 | 96 |
| Railways | 649 (km) | 105 |
| Roadways | 9,170 (km) | 138 |
| Waterways | 1,600 (km) | 51 |
| Merchant marine | 2 | 140 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.80 (% of GDP) | 79 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda The Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda demonstrates an unusual interface between dense and well-conserved tropical rainforest and relict savannah environments with a great diversity of species, including endangered large mammals, ... | 2007 |