Gabon

République Gabonaise
République Gabonaise
	Coat of arms of Gabon
	Motto: Union Travail Justice
	Anthem: La Concorde;
Capital; (and largest city)	Libreville; 0°30′N 09°32′E
Official languages	French
Government	Presidential Republic
Independence
Area
Population
GDP (PPP)	2003 estimate
Currency	CFA franc (XOF)
Time zone	UTC1 (UTC+1)
Internet TLD	.ga
Calling code	+241
	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 (est. 2000)

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The Gabonese Republic or Gabon, is a nation of west central Africa. Since its independence from France in 1960, the republic has been ruled by only two presidents, both autocratic; the incumbent, Omar Bongo, has been in power since 1967 and as of 2007 was Africa's longest-serving head of state. In response to unrest, Bongo introduced a multiparty system and a new democratic constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. But the government manipulated the process to remain in power. Bongo is believed to have funneled millions into bank accounts abroad.

A small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous countries in the region. It contains some of the most pristine tropical rainforests on earth. But oil production has been declining and timber is an exhaustible commodity. Gabon is turning to China for development of its minerals and financial aid. The government hopes the system of national parks being set up will attract ecotourism to reduce dependence on logging.

Geography

Gabon borders on Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Gabon is located on the Atlantic coast of central Africa.

The climate is hot and humid with heavy rainfall. Lowlands extending inland from the coast lead to densely forested plateaus in the east and south that range in altitude from 1,000 to 2,000 feet. Rounded mountains in the interior reach heights of 5,200 feet.

Gabon's largest river is the Ogooué. Its forests are renowned for their huge diversity in plant species — among the richest in Africa — from the mangroves of the coast to the spectacular savannas of the Bateke Plateaus. It is also rich in animals that are threatened or poorly represented at continental or regional levels. Its fauna include elephants, gorillas, and hippopotamus.

In 2002, the government announced it would set aside 10 percent of its landmass for a system of national parks. Gabon's President El Hadj Omar Bongo said thirteen national parks comprising more than 10,000 square miles will be established, protecting vital habitat for gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and other wildlife. Much of the land set aside was based on years of field research by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which has studied Gabon’s wildlife since 1985.

National Geographic drew attention to Gabon's extraordinary biological wealth while filiming and photographing WCS Conservationist Mike Fay's “Megatransect”— a joint expedition between WCS and National Geographic across the Congo Basin forest.

Many of the new parks will be developed for ecotourism, as an economic alternative to exploiting Gabon’s forests for timber. "By creating these national parks, we will develop a viable alternative to simple exploitation of natural resources that will promote the preservation of our environment. Already there is a broad consensus that Gabon has the potential to become a natural Mecca, attracting pilgrims from the four points of the compass in search of the last remaining natural wonders on earth," President Bongo said.

The lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean. The highest point is Mont Iboundji (1,575 m).

Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, and hydropower.

Only 1.21 percent of the land is arable. The main food crops are cassava and plantains.

Environmental issues facing the country are deforestation and poaching.

History

During the last seven centuries, Bantu groups arrived in Gabon from several directions to escape enemies or find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact, but tribal art suggests a rich cultural heritage.

Gabon's first confirmed European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the fifteenth century and named the country after the Portuguese word gabao — a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Komo River estuary. The coast became a center of the slave trade. Dutch, English, and French traders came in the sixteenth century.

France assumed the status of protector by signing treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs in 1839 and 1841. American missionaries from New England established a mission at Baraka (now Libreville) in 1842. In 1849, the French captured a slave ship and released the passengers at the mouth of the Komo River. The slaves named their settlement Libreville (French for "free town").

French explorers penetrated Gabon's dense jungles between 1862 and 1887. The most famous, Savorgnan de Brazza, used Gabonese bearers and guides in his search for the headwaters of the Congo River. France occupied Gabon in 1885, but did not administer it until 1903.

In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. The former territories all became independent in August 1960 — as Chad (August 11), the Central African Republic (August 13), Republic of the Congo (August 15), and finally Gabon on August 17.

At the time of Gabon's independence, two principal political parties existed: the Bloc Democratique Gabonais (BDG), led by Leon M'Ba, and the Union Democratique et Sociale Gabonaise (UDSG), led by J.H. Aubame. In the first post-independence election, held under a parliamentary system, neither party was able to win a majority. The BDG obtained support from three of the four independent legislative deputies, and M'Ba was named prime minister. Soon after concluding that Gabon had an insufficient number of people for a two-party system, the two party leaders agreed on a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election, held under the new presidential system, M'Ba became president and Aubame became foreign minister.

This one-party system appeared to work until February 1963, when the larger BDG element forced the UDSG members to choose between a merger of the parties or resignation. The UDSG cabinet ministers resigned, and M'Ba called an election for February 1964 and a reduced number of National Assembly deputies (from 67 to 47). The UDSG failed to muster a list of candidates able to meet the requirements of the electoral decrees. When the BDG appeared likely to win the election by default, the Gabonese military toppled M'Ba in a bloodless coup on February 18, 1964. French troops re-established his government the next day. Elections were held in April 1964 with many opposition participants. BDG-supported candidates won 31 seats and the opposition 16. Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967, Leon M'Ba and Omar Bongo (then Albert Bongo) were elected president and vice president. M'Ba died later that year, and Omar Bongo became president.

In March 1968, Bongo declared Gabon a one-party state by dissolving the BDG and establishing a new party: the Gabonese Democratic Party (Parti Démocratique Gabonais) (PDG). He invited all Gabonese, regardless of previous political affiliation, to participate. Bongo was elected president in February 1975; in April 1975, the office of vice president was abolished and replaced by the office of prime minister, who had no right to automatic succession. Bongo was re-elected president in December 1979 and November 1986 to seven-year terms. Using the PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that divided Gabonese politics in the past, Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development policies.

Economic discontent and a desire for political liberalization provoked violent demonstrations and strikes by students and workers in early 1990. In response to grievances by workers, Bongo negotiated with them on a sector-by-sector basis, making significant wage concessions. In addition, he promised to open up the PDG and to organize a national political conference in March-April 1990 to discuss Gabon's future political system. The PDG and 74 political organizations attended the conference. Participants essentially divided into two loose coalitions, the ruling PDG and its allies, and the United Front of Opposition Associations and Parties, consisting of the breakaway Morena Fundamental and the Gabonese Progress Party.

The April 1990 conference approved sweeping political reforms, including creation of a national Senate, decentralization of the budgetary process, freedom of assembly and press, and cancellation of the exit visa requirement. In an attempt to guide the political system's transformation to multiparty democracy, Bongo resigned as PDG chairman and created a transitional government headed by a new prime minister, Casimir Oye-Mba. The Gabonese Social Democratic Grouping (RSDG), as the resulting government was called, was smaller than the previous government and included representatives from several opposition parties in its cabinet. The RSDG drafted a provisional constitution in May 1990 that provided a basic bill of rights and an independent judiciary but retained strong executive powers for the president. After further review by a constitutional committee and the National Assembly, this document came into force in March 1991. Under the 1991 constitution, in the event of the president's death, the prime minister, the National Assembly president, and the defense minister were to share power until a new election could be held.

Opposition to the PDG continued, however, and in September 1990, two coup d’etat attempts were uncovered and aborted. Despite anti-government demonstrations after the untimely death of an opposition leader, the first multiparty National Assembly elections in almost 30 years took place in September-October 1990, with the PDG garnering a large majority.

Following President Bongo's re-election in December 1993 with 51% of the vote, opposition candidates refused to validate the election results. Serious civil disturbances led to an agreement between the government and opposition factions to work toward a political settlement. These talks led to the Paris Accords in November 1994, under which several opposition figures were included in a government of national unity. This arrangement soon broke down, however, and the 1996 and 1997 legislative and municipal elections provided the background for renewed partisan politics. The PDG won a landslide victory in the legislative election, but several major cities, including Libreville, elected opposition mayors during the 1997 local election.

President Bongo coasted to easy re-elections in December 1998 and November 2005, with large majorities of the vote against a divided opposition. While Bongo's major opponents rejected the outcome as fraudulent, some international observers characterized the results as representative despite any perceived irregularities. Legislative elections held in 2001-2002, which were boycotted by a number of smaller opposition parties and were widely criticized for their administrative weaknesses, produced a National Assembly almost completely dominated by the PDG and allied independents.

Politics

In 1991 a new constitution was adopted. Among its provisions are a Western-style bill of rights, the creation of the National Council of Democracy that also oversees the guarantee of those rights, and a governmental advisory board that deals with economic and social issues. Multi-party legislative elections were held in 1990-1991 even though opposition parties had not been declared formally legal.

President Bongo, in power since 1967, was re-elected to another seven-year term according to poll results returned from elections held in 2005. According to figures provided by Gabon's Interior Ministry, this was achieved with 79 percent of the votes cast. In 2003 Bongo amended the national constitution to remove any restictions on the number of terms a president is allowed to serve. The president retains strong powers, such as the authority to dissolve the national assembly, declare a state of siege, delay legislation, conduct referenda, and appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members.

In provisional results his ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 84 out of 120 parliamentary seats. As with previous Gabonese elections in which the opposition parties have contested, there were several accusations of electoral fraud, bribery, and calls for a boycott. There were also incidences of violence and protest, particularly in the first round of voting held two weeks prior.

Ftrom CIA Factbook: President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime.

The Parliament has two chambers. The National Assembly has 120 members, 111 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and nine members appointed by a head of state - the president. The Senate has 91 members, elected for a six-year term in single-seat constituencies by local and departmental councillors.

Military

Gabon has a small, professional military of about 5,000 personnel, divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and national police. Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have not been trained for an offensive role. A 1,800-member guard provides security for the president.

Administrative divisions

Gabon is divided into nine provinces and further divided into thirty-seven departments. The provinces are:

Estuaire
Haut-Ogooué
Moyen-Ogooué
Ngounié
Nyanga
Ogooué-Ivindo
Ogooué-Lolo
Ogooué-Maritime
Woleu-Ntem

Foreign policy

Equatorial Guinea and Gabon have a sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and need to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay.

Economy

File:Gabon sm04.png

Map of Gabon

Gabon is more prosperous than most nearby countries, with a per capita income of four times the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This is in large part due to offshore oil production that has produced substantial wealth, although the distribution of income from this industry is extremely unequal. Gabon was a full member of OPEC from 1975 to 1995.

During the 1990s, devaluation of the CFA franc left Gabon struggling to pay its overseas debt. France and the IMF have provided further loans and aid in exchange for the implementation of changes to the economy.

An estimated 40 percent of people are unemployed in Gabon, a tiny West African country rich in oil, gold, manganese and ore. The United Nations says that between 60 and 70 percent of the population live below the poverty line, scraping by on less than US $1 per day.

The rampant poverty is set against a per capita GDP more than three-times higher than the sub-Saharan average, a paradox that is not lost on politicians opposed to the country’s president, Omar Bongo, West Africa’s longest-serving head of state.

"The populations of the oil producing African countries are those who suffer from the most deteriorated living conditions," said parliamentarian Laurent Nzamba.

Oil production has been declining in recent years in Gabon to average about 265,000 barrels per day. Oil still accounts for an estimated 50 percent of national revenue, and analysts say forecasted continuing high oil prices should cushion the country from short-term shocks.

Still, some are sceptical that Gabon’s economic indicators will go anywhere except backward as long as the 70-year-old president is in power.

"Our leaders live in style, parading with cars and big villas while the country is left utterly helpless," said Vincent Ndomba, who works at the Treasury.

David Cowan, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit in London, agrees. “Gabon has a long history of doing all the things that shouldn’t be done,” he said.

Cowan said Gabon’s government frittered away the country’s oil wealth on grandiose projects. “Instead of spending on primary healthcare, it spent on hospitals and universities, without thinking about the long-term costs.”

Analysts have urged Gabon to start diversifying the economy to compensate for the decline in oil output, suggesting it expand mining production and improve the forestry, construction, telecommunication and fishing sectors as potential additional sources of revenue.

But Gabonese are not optimistic. At the fish market, Salomon Kontche said he would advise his children to forget about college and head straight for stable manual jobs.

"With the economic crisis, our situation is precarious,” Kontche said. “It's better to find an activity that provides us with a certain amount of autonomy.”

From US Energy site: Gabon’s economic growth is highly dependent on oil production. As a result, Gabon is seeking increased non-oil sector growth for future stability. Gabon’s economy is highly dependent on oil production, with the country’s oil export earnings accounting for 65 percent of government revenues. High oil prices have helped increase the country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, which rose from 1.4 percent in 2004 to 2.7 percent in 2005. In 2005, Gabon registered per-capita GDP of approximately $5,000, which is significantly higher than the sub-Saharan African average of $1,500. However, analysts estimate that 60–70 percent of Gabonese live below the poverty line. Inflation has decreased over the last decade, with recent decreases attributed to weak private domestic demand. The 10 percent inflation experienced in 1995 dropped to one percent in 2005. In coming years, Gabon hopes to increase growth in the non-oil sector, especially with looming oil export declines as a result of decreased domestic oil production.

In addition to declining oil production, Gabon is faced with high debt payments amounting to 40 percent of the annual government budget. As of September 2006, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had a total of $65 million loaned to Gabon. The World Bank currently has three active projects in Gabon, which include $50 million in loans. The projects are aimed towards increasing natural resource management within the country. In addition, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $256 million in the Gabonese energy sector.

Gabon was instrumental in forming the Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), a consortium of six nations hoping to merge their macroeconomic policies and create a common market. The movement culminated in the creation of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, established in 2000 to encourage settlement of conflicts threatening natural resource development.

Demographics

Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang. Others include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, and Okande. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, is a unifying force. More than 10,000 French nationals live in Gabon, and France dominates foreign cultural and commercial influences.

Historical and environmental factors caused Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940. It is one of the least-densely inhabited countries in Africa, and a labor shortage is a major obstacle to development and a draw for foreign workers. The population is generally accepted to be just over 1 million, though some dispute this.

Most inhabitants are Christians (with estimates of the Christian population ranging from 55 to 77 percent), mostly members of the Roman Catholic Church. Other religious groups include animists, Muslims, and practitioners of indigenous African religions.

Petty thievery is common. Violent crime is more common in urban areas.

Life expectancy is 54 years (males 52.85 years and females 55.17 years, according to a 2007 est.)

The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among adults is 8.1 percent (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.9% industry: 59.7% services: 34.4% (2006 est.) Labor force: 581,000 (2006 est.) Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25% Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

Culture

Gabonese music is little-known in comparison with regional giants like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The country boasts an array of folk styles, as well as pop stars like Patience Dabany (who now lives in the US). Dabany's albums, though recorded in Los Angeles, have a distinctively Gabonese element and are popular throughout Francophone Africa. Other major musicians include Pierre-Claver Akendengue (considered a master-poet), "the veteran" Mackjoss, Vickos Ekondo, known as "the king of Tandima". Also known are guitarists like Georges Oyendze, La Rose Mbadou and Sylvain Avara, and the singer Oliver N'Goma. Imported rock and hip hop from the US and UK are popular in Gabon, as are rhumba, makossa and soukous.

Gabonese folk instruments include the obala, the ngombi, balafon and traditional drums.

Gabon also features highly appreciated masks, such as the n'goltang (Fang) and the relicary figures of the Kota.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Maria Petringa, Brazza. 2006. A Life for Africa ISBN 9781-4259-11980
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [2] Retrieved June 12,2007.

External links

Background Note: Gabon
History of Gabon

Government

Le Gabon : official site of the Gabonese Republic
Assemblée Nationale du Gabon official site
Gabonese Embassy in London government information and links
Le Sénat de la République Gabonaise official site (in French)

News

AllAfrica.com - Gabon news headline links

Overviews

Ethnic Groups

Baka Pygmies of Cameroon and Gabon Culture and music of the first inhabitants of Gabon

Directories

Open Directory Project - Gabon directory category
Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Gabon directory category
University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Gabon directory category
Yahoo! - Gabon directory category

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