Compare Swaziland (2007) - Gabon (2002)

Compare Swaziland (2007) z Gabon (2002)

	Swaziland (2007)	Gabon (2002)

Administrative divisions	4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni	9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Age structure	0-14 years: 40.3% (male 230,238/female 226,184) 15-64 years: 56.1% (male 304,899/female 331,036) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,870/female 24,839) (2007 est.)	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.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep	cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish
Airports	18 (2007)	59 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)	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)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2007)	total: 47 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 24 (2002)
Area	total: 17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km	total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than New Jersey	slightly smaller than Colorado
Background	Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last ruling monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection.	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.
Birth rate	26.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	27.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $977 million expenditures: $1.034 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $1.8 billion expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $310 million (2002 est.)
Capital	name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)	Libreville
Climate	varies from tropical to near temperate	tropical; always hot, humid
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	885 km
Constitution	signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006	adopted 14 March 1991
Country name	conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini	conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon
Currency	-	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate	30.35 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	17.59 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$484 million (2006 est.)	$3.6 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lynn ALLISON embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445 FAX: [268] 404-5959	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254	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
Disputes - international	in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa	maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
Economic aid - recipient	$46.03 million (2005)	$331 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview	In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.	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.
Electricity - consumption	1.3 billion kWh (2005)	790.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	460 million kWh (2005)	850 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
Environment - current issues	limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion	deforestation; poaching
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	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	African 97%, European 3%	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	emalangeni per US dollar - 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)	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
Executive branch	chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly	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%
Exports	NA bbl/day	$2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities	soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit	crude oil 81%, timber, manganese, uranium (2000)
Exports - partners	South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)	US 51%, France 17%, China 8%, Netherlands Antilles 4% (2000)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $6.7 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 11.9% industry: 46.1% services: 41.9% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 10% industry: 60% services: 30% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2.1% (2006 est.)	2.5% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	26 30 S, 31 30 E	1 00 S, 11 45 E
Geography - note	landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa	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: 8,454 km paved: 838 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: 7,616 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	NA bbl/day	$921 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities	motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Imports - partners	South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2006)	France 62%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, US 5%, Belgium 3% (2000)
Independence	6 September 1968 (from UK)	17 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	3.7% (FY95/96)	-6.4% (2001 est.)
Industries	coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel	food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair
Infant mortality rate	total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	93.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	5.7% (2006 est.)	1.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	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	500 sq km (2003)	150 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch	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	300,000 (2006)	600,000 600,000
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture 60%, services and government 25%, industry and commerce 15%
Land boundaries	total: 535 km border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 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: 10.25% permanent crops: 0.81% other: 88.94% (2005)	arable land: 1.26% permanent crops: 0.66% other: 98.08% (1998 est.)
Languages	English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)	French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Legal system	based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations	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 or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round	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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 32.23 years male: 31.84 years female: 32.62 years (2007 est.)	total population: 49.11 years male: 48.01 years female: 50.25 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.)
Location	Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa	Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Map references	Africa	Africa
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Military branches	Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2007)	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	4.7% (2006)	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	Independence Day, 6 September (1968)	Founding of the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), 12 March (1968)
Nationality	noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi	noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese
Natural hazards	drought	NA
Natural resources	asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc	petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	-	crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km
Political parties and leaders	the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]	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]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	1,133,066 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 2007 est.)	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.)
Population below poverty line	69% (2006)	NA%
Population growth rate	-0.337% (2007 est.)	0.97% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)	AM 6, FM 7 (and 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios	-	208,000 (1997)
Railways	total: 301 km narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)	total: 649 km standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single-track (2001)
Religions	Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%	Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.921 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.639 male(s)/female total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	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.)
Suffrage	18 years of age	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	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
Telephones - main lines in use	44,000 (2006)	39,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	250,000 (2006)	120,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)	4 (plus four low-powered repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains	narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Total fertility rate	3.43 children born/woman (2007 est.)	3.65 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	40% (2006 est.)	21% (1997 est.)
Waterways	-	1,600 km (perennially navigable)

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