|
General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
257,670 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
2,551 km |
|
Coastline: |
885 km |
|
Capital: |
Libreville |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Port Gentil,
Franceville,
Lambaréné |
|
Official
Language: |
French |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Communauté
Financière
Africaine Franc
(XAF) |
|
National Day: |
August 17 |
Location and
Geography
Gabon is a West
African country
bordered by Cameroon
and Equatorial
Guinea in the North,
the Republic of the
Congo in the East,
and the Atlantic
Ocean in the West.
The terrain is made
up of a narrow
coastal plain, a
hilly interior and
savanna to the East
and South. A very
small area is arable
and there are few
crops. Meadows and
pastures take up
about one fifth of
the land. Most of
the country is
covered by a dense
equatorial rain
forest containing
more than 3000
species of
vegetation,
including the okoume
which is a hardwood
tree that forms the
backbone of Gabon‘s
wood industry.
Ogooue, the largest
river in West Africa
between Niger and
Congo, drains most
of Gabon. The
climate is tropical
(equatorial-hot and
humid) throughout
the year.
Demography
|
Population:
|
1.30 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
35 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
15 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
63 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 52 years,
Female: 54 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
83.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
71.00 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Gabon is one of the
highest per capita
income nations of
sub-Saharan Africa.
Its economy used to
depend on timber and
manganese until oil
was discovered
offshore in the
early 1970s. Today,
the oil industry,
which accounts for
more than one-third
of GDP, is the main
source of income.
Other major natural
resources of the
country are uranium,
gold and the
extensive forests
that cover 85
percent of the
country. Cocoa,
coffee, sugar, palm
oil and fish are the
main agricultural
products.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
4557 million US$
(2001) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
3675 US$ (2001) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
8.0%
Agriculture,
46.0% Industry,
46.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
3281 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
1149 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Crude oil,
timber,
manganese and
uranium |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
equipment,
foodstuffs,
chemicals and
petroleum
products |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
France, US,
China and
Netherlands |
|
