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Compare Saint Lucia (2004) - Gabon (2005)

Compare Saint Lucia (2004) z Gabon (2005)

 Saint Lucia (2004)Gabon (2005)
 Saint LuciaGabon
Administrative divisions 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Age structure 0-14 years: 30.7% (male 25,913; female 24,467)


15-64 years: 64.1% (male 51,750; female 53,530)


65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,159; female 5,394) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 293,668/female 291,816)


15-64 years: 53.8% (male 372,134/female 374,850)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 23,551/female 33,182) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 56 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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.)
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.)
Area total: 616 sq km


land: 606 sq km


water: 10 sq km
total: 267,667 sq km


land: 257,667 sq km


water: 10,000 sq km
Area - comparative 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Colorado
Background The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. Gabon's current President, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - 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. 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.
Birth rate 20.5 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 36.24 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $141.2 million


expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $2.129 billion


expenditures: $1.64 billion, including capital expenditures of $310 million (2004 est.)
Capital Castries Libreville
Climate tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August tropical; always hot, humid
Coastline 158 km 885 km
Constitution 22 February 1979 adopted 14 March 1991
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Lucia
conventional long form: Gabonese Republic


conventional short form: Gabon


local long form: Republique Gabonaise


local short form: Gabon
Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD) -
Death rate 5.18 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 11.72 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $214 million (2000) $3.804 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Saint Lucia chief of mission: Ambassador Barrie R. WALKLEY


embassy: Boulevard du Bord de 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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY


chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016


telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795


FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723


consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
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
Disputes - international joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea UN presses Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay; only a few hundred out of the 20,000 Republic of the Congo refugees who fled militia fighting in 2000 remain in Gabon
Economic aid - recipient $51.8 million (1995) $331 million (1995)
Economy - overview Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid. Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. 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 currency by 50% in 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. Gabon signed a 14 month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies.
Electricity - consumption 111.8 million kWh (2001) 1.08 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 120.2 million kWh (2001) 1.161 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region deforestation; poaching
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% 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
Exchange rates East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)


head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth Davis ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (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 Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 66.6%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 16.5%, Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE 13.4%
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)
Exports - partners UK 48%, US 24%, Antigua and Barbuda 6%, Dominica 6%, Grenada 4% (2003) US 53.3%, China 8.5%, France 7.4% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $866 million (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 7%


industry: 20%


services: 73% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 7.4%


industry: 46.7%


services: 45.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $5,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.3% (2002 est.) 1.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 53 N, 60 68 W 1 00 S, 11 45 E
Geography - note the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean 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
Highways total: 1,210 km


paved: 63 km


unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)
total: 8,464 km


paved: 838 km


unpaved: 7,626 km (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe -
Imports NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports - partners US 36.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.6%, UK 7.4%, Venezuela 6.8% (2003) France 43.8%, US 6.3%, UK 5.9%, Netherlands 4% (2004)
Independence 22 February 1979 (from UK) 17 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate -8.9% (1997 est.) 1.6% (2002 est.)
Industries clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair; food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement
Infant mortality rate total: 13.95 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 15.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 53.64 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 63.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 43.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2001 est.) 1.5% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO 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
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 est.) 150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts
Labor force 43,800 (2001 est.) 650,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 21.7%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing 24.7%, services 53.6% (2002 est.) agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 2,551 km


border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
Land use arable land: 6.56%


permanent crops: 22.95%


other: 70.49% (2001)
arable land: 1.26%


permanent crops: 0.66%


other: 98.08% (2001)
Languages English (official), French patois French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Legal system based on English common law 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
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 3 December 2001 (next to be held in December 2006)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3
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 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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.34 years


male: 69.78 years


female: 77.16 years (2004 est.)
total population: 55.02 years


male: 53.63 years


female: 56.45 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 67%


male: 65%


female: 69% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 63.2%


male: 73.7%


female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
Location Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine none -
Military branches Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (including Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $184.8 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 2% (2004)
National holiday Independence Day, 22 February (1979) Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)
Nationality noun: Saint Lucian(s)


adjective: Saint Lucian
noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)


adjective: Gabonese
Natural hazards hurricanes and volcanic activity NA
Natural resources forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Net migration rate -2.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 210 km; oil 1,385 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH] 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]; 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]; Union for Democracy and Social Integration or UDIS [leader NA]; Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 164,213 (July 2004 est.) 1,389,201


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 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA
Population growth rate 1.27% (2004 est.) 2.45% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Castries, Vieux Fort Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)
Railways - total: 814 km


standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7% Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate system


domestic: system is automatically switched


international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique
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
Telephones - main lines in use 51,100 (2002) 38,400 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 14,300 (2002) 300,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004) 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
Terrain volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Total fertility rate 2.25 children born/woman (2004 est.) 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 16.5% (1997 est.) 21% (1997 est.)
Waterways - 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2003)
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