Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960.

The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the country's political scene for almost four decades.

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.

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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 1,454,867 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.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 307,444/female 305,468) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 391,194/female 393,103) 65 years and over: 4% (male 23,978/female 33,680) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.8 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 2.036% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 35.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 12.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.006 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.995 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.712 male(s)/female total population: 0.987 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 53.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 62.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.99 years male: 52.85 years female: 55.17 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 4.71 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 8.1% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 48,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 3,000 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese

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Ethnic groups: 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

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Religions: Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%

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

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

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 mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon 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.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $10.19 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $6.945 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,100 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.9% industry: 59.7% services: 34.4% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 581,000 (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25%

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Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

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Population below poverty line: NA%

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 22.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $3.1 billion expenditures: $2.181 billion; including capital expenditures of $325 million (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 28.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

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Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

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Industrial production growth rate: 1.6% (2002 est.)

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Electricity - production: 1.543 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 1.435 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 268,900 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 13,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 1.827 billion bbl (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - production: 100 million cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 100 million cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 33.98 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: $1.807 billion (2006 est.)

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Exports: $6.677 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)

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Exports - partners: US 27.1%, China 15.6%, France 7.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.3%, Thailand 4.2% (2006)

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Imports: $1.607 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

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Imports - partners: France 35.2%, US 7.6%, Netherlands 5.5%, Cameroon 4.5%, Belgium 4.3% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $835 million (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $3.971 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $331 million (1995)

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Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year