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Compare Gabon (2004) - British Virgin Islands (2001)
Compare Gabon (2004) z British Virgin Islands (2001)
| Gabon (2004) | British Virgin Islands (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.2% (male 286,819; female 285,184)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 362,311; female 365,132) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 23,157; female 32,643) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339) 15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309) 65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
| Airports | 56 (2003 est.) | 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 23 (2004 est.) |
total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Area | total: 267,667 sq km
land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km |
total:
150 sq km land: 150 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the island of Anegada |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Colorado | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. Gabon's current President, El Hadj Omar BONGO - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated Gabon's political scene for almost four decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, the low turnout and allegations of electoral fraud during the most recent local elections in 2002-03 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. In addition, recent strikes have underscored the popular disenchantment with the political system. Presidential elections scheduled for 2005 are unlikely to bring change since the opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. 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. | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. |
| Birth rate | 36.4 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $1.771 billion
expenditures: $1.413 billion, including capital expenditures of $310 million (2003 est.) |
revenues:
$121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
| Capital | Libreville | Road Town |
| Climate | tropical; always hot, humid | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
| Coastline | 885 km | 80 km |
| Constitution | adopted 14 March 1991 | 1 June 1977 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States | US dollar (USD) |
| Death rate | 11.43 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $3.284 billion (2003 est.) | $36.1 million (1997) |
| Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
| 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 (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Jules Marius 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 (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Disputes - international | creation of a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay with Equatorial Guinea is hampered by dispute over Mbane Island, administered and occupied by Gabon since the 1970s | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $331 million (1995) | $2.6 million (1995) |
| 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, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. 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. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies. | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. |
| Electricity - consumption | 742.5 million kWh (2001) | 39.1 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 798.4 million kWh (2001) | 42 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; poaching | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment) |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 | black 90%, white, Asian |
| Exchange rates | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999) | the US dollar is used |
| 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), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA) head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council |
| Exports | NA (2001) | $6.2 million (2000 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001) | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
| Exports - partners | US 51.5%, France 8.7%, China 7.5%, Japan 4% (2003) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $7.301 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 8.1%
industry: 48.8% services: 43.1% (2003 est.) |
agriculture:
1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1.2% (2003 est.) | 6% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 1 00 S, 11 45 E | 18 30 N, 64 30 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 | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
| Highways | total: 8,464 km
paved: 838 km unpaved: 7,626 km (2000 est.) |
total:
132 km paved: 132 km unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
| Imports | NA (2001) | $220 million (2000 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
| Imports - partners | France 49.9%, US 5.3%, UK 4.6% (2003) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
| Independence | 17 August 1960 (from France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 1.6% (2002 est.) | 4% (1985) |
| Industries | petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair; food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 54.34 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 64.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.5% (2003 est.) | 2% (2000) |
| International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 16 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 150 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
| 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 | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
| Labor force | 610,000 (2003) | 4,911 (1980) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
| 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% (2001) |
arable land:
20% permanent crops: 7% permanent pastures: 33% forests and woodland: 7% other: 33% (1993 est.) |
| Languages | French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi | English (official) |
| 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 |
| 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 2003 (next to be held by January 2009) 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 Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 56.46 years
male: 54.85 years female: 58.12 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
75.64 years male: 74.74 years female: 76.59 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
| Merchant marine | - | total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
| Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $149.3 million (2003) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (2003) | - |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 314,434 (2004 est.) | - |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 162,847 (2004 est.) | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 13,462 (2004 est.) | - |
| National holiday | Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968) | Territory Day, 1 July |
| Nationality | noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective: Gabonese |
noun:
British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander |
| Natural hazards | NA | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
| Natural resources | petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower | NEGL |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Pipelines | gas 210 km; oil 1,385 km (2004) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | 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]; Gabonese Party for Progress or PGP [Pierre-Louis AGONDJO-OKAWE,]; 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] | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 1,355,246
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 2004 est.) |
20,812 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.5% (2004 est.) | 2.22% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil | Road Town |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 9,000 (1997) |
| Railways | total: 814 km
standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
0 km |
| Religions | Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% | Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| 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: country code - 241; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
general assessment:
worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 38,400 (2003) | 10,000 (1996) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 300,000 (2003) | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) |
| Terrain | narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly |
| Total fertility rate | 4.8 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 21% (1997 est.) | 3% (1995) |
| Waterways | 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2003) | none |
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