Until recently, only two autocratic presidents had ruled Gabon since its independence from France in 1960. The recent president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - had dominated the country's political scene for four decades. 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. President BONGO died in June 2009. New elections in August 2009 brought Ali Ben BONGO, son of the former president, to power. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries. In January 2010, Gabon assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.

Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

slightly smaller than Colorado

tropical; always hot, humid

narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

deforestation; poaching

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

35.57 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

12.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-3.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

4.62 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%

French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

republic; multiparty presidential regime

9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

17 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

adopted 14 March 1991

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

21 years of age; universal

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (102 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts

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 [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA] (former sole party); Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Benoit Mouity NZAMBA]; Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development or UGDD [Zacherie MYBOTO]; National Rally of Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; Party of Development and Social Solidarity or PDS [Seraphin Ndoat REMBOGO]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese Patriots or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, but 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 more than 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. 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 from 1999 to 2008 helped growth, but drops in production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2007, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year.

$21.16 billion (2009 est.)

$21.4 billion (2008 est.)

$20.91 billion (2007 est.)

$11.02 billion (2009 est.)

27% of GDP (2009 est.)

29.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

21.1% of GDP (2008 est.)

4.75% (31 December 2008)

5.25% (31 December 2007)

NA% (31 December 2008)

15% (31 December 2007)

$1.643 billion (31 December 2008)

$1.547 billion (31 December 2007)

$777.8 million (31 December 2008)

$799.3 million (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$359.8 million (31 December 2007)

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

1.774 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.446 billion kWh (2007 est.)

241,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)

14,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

227,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

4,185 bbl/day (2007 est.)

2 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

90 million cu m (2008 est.)

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

$321 million (2009 est.)

$2.501 billion (2008 est.)

$5.876 billion (2009 est.)

$9.26 billion (2008 est.)

crude oil 70%, timber, manganese, uranium

Russia 30.62%, US 16.56%, China 15.87%, France 4.28% (2009)

$2.347 billion (2009 est.)

$2.678 billion (2008 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

France 32.21%, US 7.92%, China 7.02%, Belgium 4.99%, Italy 4.81%, Cameroon 4.56%, Netherlands 4.35% (2009)

$1.995 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.925 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$3.065 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.986 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.35 (2009), 447.81 (2008), 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005)

state owns and operates 2 TV stations and 2 radio broadcast stations; a few private radio and TV stations are operational; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible; satellite service subscriptions are available (2007)

gas 240 km; oil 858 km (2009)

1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2008)

Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Port-Gentil

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police

20 years of age for voluntary military service; there is no conscription (2009)

UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay