The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

      15–64 years: 60.77% (male 373,828; female 368,282)

      65 years and over: 5.94% (male 35,867; female 36,688) (2001 est.)

      Population growth rate: 1.02% (2001 est.)

      Birth rate: 27.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

      Death rate: 17.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

      Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

      Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

      under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

      15–64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

      65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female

      total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

      Infant mortality rate: 94.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.59 years

      male: 48.47 years

      female: 50.75 years (2001 est.)

      Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (2001 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.16% (1999 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 23,000 (1999 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.)

      Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)

      adjective: Gabonese

      Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

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

      Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira,

       Bandjabi

      Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

      total population: 63.2%

      male: 73.7%

      female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

      Gabon Government

      Country name: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic

      conventional short form: Gabon

      local long form: Republique Gabonaise

      local short form: Gabon

      Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 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: Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)

      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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

      Executive branch: 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%

      Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats) 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 15 and 29 December 1996 (next to be held NA December 2001); Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 1997 (next to be held in January 2002)

      election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 89, PGP 9, RNB 6, CLR 3, UPG 2, USG 2, independents 4, others 5; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9

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

      Political parties and leaders: African Forum for Reconstruction or

       FAR [Leon MBOU-YEMBI]; Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General

       Jean Boniface ASSELE]; 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];

       Gabonese Socialist Union or USG [Serge MBA BEKALE]; National Rally

       of Woodcutters (Bucherons) or RNB [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]

      Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

      International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,

       CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

       ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO,

       Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN,

       UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

      Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador

       Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA

      chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

      telephone: [1] (202) 797–1000

      FAX: [1] (202) 332–0668

      consulate(s): New York

      Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador

       James V. LEDESMA

      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 description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

      Gabon Economy

      Economy - overview: 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