Transgabonais

OFFICIAL NAME:

Gabonese Republic

Geography

Area: 267,667 sq. km. (103,347 sq. mi.); about the size of Colorado.

Cities: Capital--Libreville (pop. 673,995). Other cities--Port-Gentil (118,940), Franceville.

Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly, heavily forested interior (about 80% forested); some savanna regions in east and south.

Climate: Hot and humid all year with two rainy and two dry seasons.
Officially Gabonese Republic, French Gabon, or République Gabonaise, country lying on the west coast of Africa, astride the Equator, with a total area estimated at 103,347 square miles (267,667 square kilometres). It is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; the island state of São Tomé and Príncipe is situated off the coast. Gabon's capital is Libreville. Gabon remains strongly attached to France, its former colonizer, and to the French language and culture.

Climate

Gabon has an equatorial climate, with year-round high temperatures and humidity. Rainfall varies from an annual average of 120 inches (3,050 millimetres) at Libreville to 150 inches on the northwest coast, with almost all of it falling between October and May. In the period from June to September there is little, if any, rainfall, but humidity remains high. Temperature shows little seasonal variation, the daily average being about 81° F (27° C).

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Gabonese (sing. and pl.).

Population (2004 est.): 1.35 million (figs. disputed).

Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 2.5%.

Ethnic groups: Fang (largest), Myene, Bapounou, Eshira, Bandjabi, Bakota, Nzebi, Bateke/Obamba.

Religions: Christian (55%-75%), Muslim, animist.

Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi.

Education: Years compulsory--to age 16. Attendance--60%. Literacy--63%.

Health: Infant mortality rate--54/1,000. Life expectancy--56 yrs.

Work force (500,000 est.): Agriculture--52%; industry and commerce--16%; services and government--33%.

Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups, with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang (about 30%). Other ethnic groups include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, Nzebi, and Bakota. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, is a unifying force. More than 7,000 French people 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 but remains in dispute.

Ethnic and linguistic composition

All of Gabon's 40 or so ethnic groups, except the few thousand Pygmies, speak Bantu languages and, on that basis, can be classified into 10 larger groups. The Myene group (including the Mpongwe and Orungu), though only a small part of the population today, has played an important role in the history of the country as a result of its location along the northern coasts. The Fang, who belong to the larger Ewondo or Pahouin group also found in southern Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, account for one-third of the population; they live north of the Ogooué River. The largest groups south of the Ogooué are the Sira (including the Eshira and Punu), the Nzebi (Njabi), and the Mbete; these groups together form close to half the population. Less numerous peoples include the Benga and Seke (Sheke) in the far northwest, the Kota and Teke in the east, and the Vili along the far southern coast.

Many of the Bantu languages do not have written forms. During the 19th century Christian missionaries transliterated several of them in the Latin alphabet and prepared Bible translations and catechisms for their followers. But the French policy of limiting the use of indigenous languages solely to religious instruction inhibited the growth of other types of literature. Because of the extensive efforts to teach French, at least one-third of the Gabonese can speak the language, and more than one-quarter can read it.

Religion

A large majority of Gabon's population is Christian, with about three times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants. Though Gabonese serve as Roman Catholic bishops, they rely heavily upon foreign clergy, particularly the French Holy Ghost Fathers. The largest Protestant body, the Evangelical Church of Gabon, has Gabonese pastors in its parishes throughout the north. There also exist a small but growing Christian Alliance Church in the southwest and the tiny Evangelical Pentecostal Church (Assembly of God) in the estuary and far northern regions. A syncretic religion called Bwiti (based on an earlier secret society of the same name) came into existence in the early 20th century and later played a role in promoting solidarity among the Fang. The majority of the few thousand Muslims are immigrants from other African countries.

Gabon News

History of Gabon

Economy

GDP (2003): $4.8 billion.

Annual real growth rate (2004 est.): 1.1%.

Per capita income (2004 est.): $4,579.

Avg. inflation rate (2004 est): 2.1%.

Natural resources: Petroleum (43% of GDP), timber, manganese, uranium.

Agriculture and forestry (7% of GDP): Products--cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar, and pineapples. Cultivated land--1%.

Industry (9% of GDP): Types--petroleum related, wood processing, food and beverage processing.

Trade (2003): Exports--$2.6 billion: petroleum, wood, manganese. Major markets--U.S., EU, Asia. Imports--$0.7 billion: construction equipment, machinery, food, automobiles, manufactured goods. Major suppliers--U.S., France, China.

Gabon's economy has more links with European and American markets than with those in neighbouring states (with the exception of Cameroon) or elsewhere in Africa. The economy shares some of the characteristics of those of other tropical African states: strong links with the former colonial ruler, a large degree of foreign investment and control, dependence on foreign technicians, and the decline of agriculture. Gabon differs from these states in its reliance on thousands of wage earners from other African countries to supplement its own sparse supply of workers in retailing, artisanship, and domestic transport.

Resources

Gabon possesses important resources in woods and minerals and much hydroelectric potential. But its poor transportation infrastructure and lack of financing, as well as unfavourable world market conditions, hinder the development of some of these resources.

Government

Type: Republic.

Independence: August 17, 1960.

Constitution: February 21, 1961 (revised April 15, 1975; rewritten March 26, 1991; revised July 29, 2003).

Branches: Executive--president (head of state); prime minister (head of government) and appointed Council of Ministers (current government of 40 appointed January 2002). Legislative--bicameral legislature (National Assembly and Senate). Judicial--Supreme Court.

Administrative subdivisions: 9 provinces, 36 prefectures, and 8 subprefectures.

Political parties (including number of seats in 120-member Assembly elected in 2001-02): Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG--88), Rassemblement National Des Bucherons-Rassemblement pour le Gabon (RNB-RPG--8), Parti Gabonais Du Progres (PGP--3), Independents and other parties--24.

Suffrage: Universal, direct.

Central government budget (2001 est.): Receipts--$1.6 billion; expenses--$1.2 billion; defense (1999)--3.0% of government budget.

Under the frequently revised constitution of 1961, Gabon is a republic under the executive direction of a president elected by direct universal suffrage for a period of seven years and a Council of Ministers appointed by the president. Provision is also made for a prime minister (appointed by the president) and a National Assembly (elected by direct suffrage) to assume legislative responsibilities and for an independent Supreme Court. After the French intervention of 1964, power became concentrated in the presidency. In 1968 the president's party, the Gabon Democratic Party (Parti Démocratique Gabonais; PDG), was declared the only one legally permitted. But in May 1990 transitional constitutional arrangements reestablished a multiparty system. A committee was appointed to formulate a new constitution.

The judicial system consists of a series of customary law courts at the lowest level, above which are a criminal court, a court of appeals, and the Supreme Court (all located in Libreville). The High Court, which is composed of members elected from the National Assembly, has the power to try the president and members of government. An audit office (cour des comptes) was created in 1977 to oversee the government's finances.

Administratively, Gabon is divided into nine provinces, which are further divided into préfectures and sous-préfectures (subprefectures). The provincial governors, the prefects, and the subprefects are all appointed by the president.

Education

The educational system continues to be modeled closely after that of France. French remains the sole medium of instruction; Bantu languages are studied as electives at the secondary and higher levels. While education is officially mandatory from the ages of 6 to 16, the bulk of children do not attend long enough to achieve literacy or numeracy. The Omar Bongo University, founded in 1970, has two- and three-year programs in most fields and some advanced studies. The University of Science and Technology of Masuku, near Franceville, opened in 1986. Many Gabonese study abroad, particularly in France, at the university and graduate levels.

Copyright © 1994-2002 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. & US Dept of State http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2826.htm