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Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. On the Equator. Slightly smaller than Colorado. Capital: Libreville.
Independence from France in 1960. Ruled by autocratic presidents.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $12,800 (Ranks 79th. Passes numerous other countries)
GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: 4.5 percent. (Ranks 126th)
CIA Factbook: "Exports crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium. Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. but 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."
In 2005 produced 266,000 barrels of crude oil per day, compared to 11 million by Saudi Arabia in 2007.
Factbook: "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."
In cash value, exports for 2004 were a little more than three imports.
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 3.4 (estimated for 2005).
Deaths: 12.59. Births: 35.75, down from 36.24 in 2005
Estimate for July 2008: 1.486 million, up from 1.39 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 1.94 percent per year.
More leaving than arriving, a net loss of 3.62 persons per 1,000 population, up from 3.15 in 2007
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 52.65, down from 53.65 in 2007 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy estimated for 2008: 53.52 years, down from 55.75 in 2005
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.