Gabon

After winning independence from France in 1960, the Gabonese Republic entered a period of political stability marked by one-party rule. Thirty years later, a multiparty system was introduced and a new constitution was ratified. Drawing on its rich natural resources—including petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, and hydropower—and on financial backing from foreign investors, Gabon has become one of the most prosperous countries in Africa. Some 60 percent of the work force is engaged in agriculture, and timber and manganese were the mainstays of the economy until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s.

Currently, the oil industry accounts for half of the Gross Domestic Product. With a per capita income of $5,800, Gabon is ranked 124 of 232 nations in world incomes. Gabon's income level is four times greater than that of most Sub-Saharan African nations. Poverty levels have declined, but income disparity endures. Over one-fifth of Gabonese are unemployed. Gabon is ranked 123 of 232 countries on overall quality of life issues.

Bordering on the South Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, Gabon has a coastline of 885 kilometers in addition to 10,000 square kilometers of inland water sources. The Western African nation shares land borders with Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. The narrow coastal plains of Gabon give way to a hilly interior and savanna in the east and south. Elevations range from sea level to 1,575 meters at Mont Iboundji. The tropical climate is always hot and humid.

Despite its economic superiority over many of its neighbors, Gabon is subject to some of the same environmental health hazards that plague much of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Gabonese population of 1,400,900 experiences an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 8.1 percent. Some 48,000 Gabonese live with this disease, which had had killed 3,000 people by 2003. While 87 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, less that half of rural residents can sustain that access. Only 36 percent of Gabonese have access to improved sanitation. Thus, the population suffers from a very high risk of contracting food and waterborne diseases, including bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever and malaria, a vectorborne disease. As a result of high incidences of disease, the Gabonese experience low life expectancy (54.49 years) and growth rates (2.13 percent), and high infant mortality (54.51 deaths per 1,000 live births) and death rates (12.25 [Page 716]deaths per 1,000 population). Gabonese women produce an average of 4.74 children each. While almost three-fourths of adult males are literate, just over half of adult females are so classified.

Due to the of the prosperity derived from oil and mineral reserves, Gabon has been able to maintain most of its rain forest, protecting the rich biodiversity of the area. Approximately 85 percent of Gabon is forested. In 2002, the United States partnered with Gabon to extend protection of the Gabonese rain forest with a contribution of $75 million. The government created a national park system that covered ten percent of the land area using a plan drawn up by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. With the creation of 13 new parks, Gabon's park system became the largest in the world.

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