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NAVIGATION
Gabonese Republic
Republique Gabonaise
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon local short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise |
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Government type:
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republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) |
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Capital:
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Libreville |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem |
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Independence:
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17 August 1960 (from France) |
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National holiday:
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Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) |
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Constitution:
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adopted 14 March 1991 |
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Legal system:
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based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Francois NTOUTOUME-EMANE (since 23 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO 66.6%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 16.5%, Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE 13.4% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats); members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms
elections: National Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006); Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 1997 (next to be held in January 2004) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 86, RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PUP 1, PSD 1, independents 13, others 3; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts |
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Political parties and leaders:
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African Forum for Reconstruction or FAR [Leon MBOU-YEMBI]; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG, former sole party [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA, secretary general]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE, president]; Gabonese People's Union or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Pierre EMBONI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Jules-Darius OGOUEBANDJA
consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth P. MOOREFIELD
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 74 34 92 FAX: [241] 74 55 07 |
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Flag description:
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three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income inequality a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, 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% on 12 January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandate progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $6.7 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.5% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 10%
industry: 60% services: 30% (1999 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.5% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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600,000 600,000 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 60%, services and government 25%, industry and commerce 15% |
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Unemployment rate:
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21% (1997 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $310 million (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-6.4% (2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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850 million kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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790.5 million kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish |
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Exports:
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$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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crude oil 81%, timber, manganese, uranium (2000) |
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Exports - partners:
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US 51%, France 17%, China 8%, Netherlands Antilles 4% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$921 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials |
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Imports - partners:
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France 62%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, US 5%, Belgium 3% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$3.6 billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$331 million (1995) (1995) |
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Currency:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
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Currency code:
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XAF |
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |