Gabon has a
population of approximately 1.2 million and covers an area of 267,667 square
kilometres along the West coast of Africa. The country's landscape is particularly rugged,
except for the west, which largely consists of sedimentary plains and marshland. As a
result of Gabon's landscape and equatorial climate, the road system is seriously affected
by rainy seasons and becomes nearly impassable in places.
With a per-capita
Gross National Product (GNP) of over US$4,000, Gabon ranks as a middle-income country. Its
economy is essentially based on developing natural resources, especially petroleum,
manganese, uranium and wood. Since these resources are mainly exported as raw materials,
the country's economy is at the mercy of international markets and fluctuations in the
U.S. dollar, especially in the case of petroleum, which is the engine of Gabon's economy.
Agriculture
provides employment for nearly 75% of the labour force but represents only 6% of the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). The industrial sector, which focuses mainly on the domestic
market, represents 11% of the GDP. Finally, the service sector represents 24% of the GDP,
due to the considerable size of the public service.
Socially, the
country has made considerable progress in the in recent years. Gabon has some 660 medical
centres and 27 hospitals. This has had a significant impact on people's life expectancy.
Education, however, is still not in line with the country's needs, and technical and
scientific skills have been inadequate. Inequality against women persists, especially in
employment, access to credit and education.
Politically, the
early years of political pluralism under the open government formed with the opposition on
November 26, 1990, were not marked by any major ups and downs until the government
resigned on June 17, 1993. To reduce political and social tension in Gabon, the government
undertook negotiations with the opposition, which led to the signing of the Paris Accords
on September 27, 1994. A few weeks later, an expanded government for democracy was formed.
In 1999, Gabon had
over 38,000 connected lines resulting in a telephone density of 3.17 lines per hundred of
population.
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