Gabon (2002) | Jersey (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 33.3% (male 205,559; female 204,796)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 376,103; female 371,422) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 37,220; female 38,253) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.2% (male 8,139/female 7,552)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,407/female 30,691) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 6,299/female 7,996) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 59 (2001) | 1 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 24 (2002) |
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Area | total: 267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Colorado | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from France in 1960, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. A small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous black African countries. | Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. |
Birth rate | 27.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.3 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $310 million (2002 est.) |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million; including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Libreville | name: Saint Helier
geographic coordinates: 49 12 N, 2 07 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical; always hot, humid | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 885 km | 70 km |
Constitution | adopted 14 March 1991 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States | - |
Death rate | 17.59 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $3.6 billion (2001 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jules-Darius OGOUEBANDJA
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668 consulate(s): New York |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $331 million (1995) (1995) | $0 |
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 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. | Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996, the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK. |
Electricity - consumption | 790.5 million kWh (2000) | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 850 million kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; poaching | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | 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 | Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) |
Exchange rates | 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 | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
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% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | crude oil 81%, timber, manganese, uranium (2000) | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | US 51%, France 17%, China 8%, Netherlands Antilles 4% (2000) | UK (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $6.7 billion (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 10%
industry: 60% services: 30% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 1 00 S, 11 45 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | 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 | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total: 8,454 km
paved: 838 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: 7,616 km (2000) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $921 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | France 62%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, US 5%, Belgium 3% (2000) | UK (2004) |
Independence | 17 August 1960 (from France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | -6.4% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Industries | food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | 93.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2001 est.) | 5.3% (2004) |
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, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 150 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
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 | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 600,000 600,000 | 52,790 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 60%, services and government 25%, industry and commerce 15% | - |
Land boundaries | total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 1.26%
permanent crops: 0.66% other: 98.08% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) |
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 | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for six-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for three-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for three-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and three non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA); note - on 23 November 2005, 29 deputies, independents, were elected election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 49.11 years
male: 48.01 years female: 50.25 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 79.38 years
male: 76.89 years female: 82.05 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential (Republican) Guard (charged with protecting the president and other senior officials), National Gendarmerie, National Police | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $70.8 million (FY01) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (FY01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 284,358 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 146,908 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 20 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 11,304 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower | arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | 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] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 1,233,353
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
91,084 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.97% (2002 est.) | 0.28% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 208,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total: 649 km
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single-track (2001) |
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Religions | Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of the growing mobile cell system
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable to be in service in 2002 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 39,000 (1998) | 73,900 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 120,000 (2000) | 83,900 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (plus four low-powered repeaters) (2001) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 3.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.58 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21% (1997 est.) | 0.9% (2004 est.) |
Waterways | 1,600 km (perennially navigable) | - |