NON MEMBER COUNTRIES
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Order the complete Gabon file in French OFFICIAL NAME : REPUBLIC OF GABON GEOGRAPHICAL
SITUATION : Situated in central Africa, with the
Equator running through its middle, Gabon is limited to the east
and to the south by Congo, to the north by Cameroon, to the north-west
by Equatorial Guinea. Its Atlantic Ocean border is nearly 500 miles
long. AREA : 103 336 sq miles CLIMATE : Equatorial climate, hot and humid with
two main seasons : CAPITAL : LIBREVILLE POPULATION : 1.2 million inhabitants (1999) MAIN CITIES : Ethnical groups :
Fang, Myènè-Mpongwe, Mbété, Punu… HEALTH - EDUCATION : POLITICAL DATA : President of the Republic
: El Hadj Omar BONGO
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS : The Republic of Gabon is a member of several regional and international organizations, among which : ZONE FRANC, ASECNA, OAB, MAISON DE L'AFRIQUE, OHADA, ONU, CEEAC, OUA, CEMAC, BEAC… FINANCIAL BACKERS : BAD, BOAD, FMI, WORLD BANK, AFD,…
ECONOMY AND FINANCE : CURRENCY : Franc CFA (1 € = 655.96
FCFA)
LIVE-STOCK : The Gabonese live-stock comprises 38 000 beef, 300 000 sheep and goats, 200 000 hogs, and numbers 10 000 000 poultry heads. FISHING : Despite 500 miles of maritime coasts
and 6 213 miles of rivers, Gabon has not yet undertaken seriously
the development of its halieutic ressources. Production stagnates
around 12 000 tons.
FOREST : With Africa's second forestry potential
(50.4 million acres of forest, or 76% of the country's area), wood was Gabon's
top exploited richness. Gaboon makes up about 66% of the production. MINING : Besides manganese and uranium mining, the
deposit inventory revealed interesting indices, namely regarding
barytine, lead, talc, phosphates...
Gabon's industrial fabric is little developped. A narrow market and manufacturing costs constitute lasting growth impediments. OIL INDUSTRY : Mainly two types of contracts regulate the oil revenue split between the companies and the State : the concession contract and the management and production split contract. The market for oil products has been growing since 1995. FOOD PROCESSING : Drinks and cigarettes industries make up 30.5% of the industrial sector's added value. The food sector is mainly handled by SMAG, SIGALLI, SAPA...
The RAILROAD NETWORK : The Transgabonese Railroad
helped pull forest villages into modern times. With 145 000 passengers,
and over 2.1 million tons of freight, the raidlroad's success seems
patent, even though the issue of managing and maintaining the existing
installations has not yet been resolved. PRIVATIZATIONS - TELECOMMUNICATIONS - BANKING - INSURANCE - COMMERCE - TOURISM - HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION - ADDRESS BOOK…
TO FIND OUT MORE Order the complete Gabon file in French
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LANGUAGES - ETHNICAL GROUPS - RELIGIONS :
PRIMARY SECTOR
AGRICULTURE
: In a country where rain forest covers 85% of the area, the absence of agricultural tradition
generated strong dependency on food produce imports. Export crops
are coffee and cocoa, but the country does not reach the allowed
quotas (3 000 tons for coffee and 10 000 tons for cocoa).
The ROAD NETWORK : Gabon does not
own a dense and well maintained road network. Nevertheless, with 4 811 miles
of roads, of which 484 miles are bitumized and 4 170 miles are laterite or
dirt roads, the network is developping.
