Gabon
Presidential republic
Official:
Gabonese Republic
Local name:
Le Gabon
Region:
Central Africa
Surface area:
267,670 km²
Capital:
Libreville
Geography
Gabon is a country in Central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea and right on the equator. The land has a total area of 267,670 km² (103,348 mi²) and a total coastline of 885 km (549.9 mi). This land area is approximately 66% of the area of California. Gabon is thus the 30th smallest country in Africa and ranked 76th in the world. With 8.9 inhabitants per km² it is one of the most sparsely populated countries on earth. An exceptionally high proportion of residents (91%) belongs to the urban population. Almost every third resident lives in Libreville.Gabon is comparatively low at an average elevation of 377 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Mont Bengoué) is at 1,070 meters. The country has about 30 islands. There are direct national borders with the three neighboring countries Cameroon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. The distance between New York City and the Capital Libreville is about 9,430 km (5,860 mi).
On further pages:
Current time in Gabon:
The countrywide time in Gabon is West Africa Time (WAT), which is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.
As in many countries, there is no daylight savings time in Gabon.
Related to Greenwich Mean Time, there's the same difference of 1 hours all over the year.
Sunrise + Sunset00:00
May 2024
The countrywide time in Gabon is West Africa Time (WAT), which is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.
As in many countries, there is no daylight savings time in Gabon.
Related to Greenwich Mean Time, there's the same difference of 1 hours all over the year.
Population
Population:2,389,000
Population per km²:8.925
Life expectancy males:Ø 63.5 years
Life expectancy females:
Ø 68.5 yearsBirth rate:
27.1 ‰Death rate:
7.3 ‰Males/Females:
50.9% : 49.1%Population pyramid
The currency in Gabon is the cfa-franc beac (XAF).
1 Cfa-franc beac is divided into 100 Centimes.
Status: 05/13/2024
1 Cfa-franc beac is divided into 100 Centimes.
Status: 05/13/2024
1 US dollar = 608.10 Cfa-franc beacs
1000 Cfa-franc beacs = 1.64 US dollar
1000 Cfa-franc beacs = 1.64 US dollar
Climate in Gabon
In Gabon, as in all equatorial countries, there is a tropical climate. Unlike in Europe or the USA, there is almost no difference between the seasons. The daylight hours vary little, and the temperature differences between summer and winter are also lower. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 27 and 31 degrees. In some parts of the country, the temperature rises to 34 °C. In the colder months, and depending in the region, the temperature drops to 20 °C in a month's average.Average daytime and nighttime temperatures
Languages
Official language:
French
| Mother tongue | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Fang | 32.0 % |
| Teke | 7.0 % |
| French | 4.0 % |
| Punu | 2.0 % |
| Mbere | 2.0 % |
| Shira | 1.7 % |
| other | 51.3 % |
Religions
| Religion | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Animists | 0.6% |
| Roman Catholics | 43.0% |
| other Christs | 27.0% |
| Protestants | 13.0% |
| Muslims | 10.0% |
| other | 6.4% |
more...
Economy
| GDP: | 21.07 bn $ |
| Exportations: | 5,390.0 M $ |
| Importations: | 5,049.3 M $ |
| Tourism receipts: | 28.70 M $ |
| Debt rate: | 55.05 % |
| › Unemployment rate: | 21.47 % |
| › Inflation rate: | 4.23 % |
| › Corruption index: | 28 (very bad) |
| › Energy consumption: | 3.1 bn kWh |
According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gabon is a developing country because of its lower economic performance.
With an average annual income of 7,530 USD Gabon is one of the upper middle-income countries.
Land use
| 0% Urban areas: | 836 km² |
| 20% Agricultural areas: | 53,614 km² |
| 91% Forest: | 244,436 km² |
| 4% Water areas: | 10,000 km² |
Transport
| Railways: | 649 km |
| Waterways: | 1,600 km |
| Reg. vehicles: | 56,600 |
| › Airports: |
Most important cities
Population refers to the city proper, not metropolitan areas.
| City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Libreville / Capital | Estuaire | 704,000 |
| Port-Gentil | Ogooué-Maritime | 136,000 |
| Franceville | Haut-Ogooué | 43,000 |
| Oyem | Woleu-Ntem | 31,000 |
| Moanda | Haut-Ogooué | 30,000 |
| Mouila | Ngounié | 22,000 |
| Lambaréné | Moyen-Ogooué | 21,000 |
| Tchibanga | Nyanga | 19,000 |
| Koulamoutou | Ogooué-Lolo | 16,000 |
| Makokou | Ogooué-Ivindo | 14,000 |
| Bitam | Woleu-Ntem | 10,000 |
| Gamba | Ogooué-Maritime | 9,900 |
| Mounana | Haut-Ogooué | 8,800 |
| Ntoum | Estuaire | 8,600 |
| Lastoursville | Ogooué-Lolo | 8,300 |
| Okondja | Haut-Ogooué | 7,200 |
| Ndendé | Ngounié | 6,200 |
| Booué | Ogooué-Ivindo | 5,800 |
| Fougamou | Ngounié | 5,600 |
| Ndjolé | Moyen-Ogooué | 5,100 |
| Mbigou | Ngounié | 4,100 |
| Mayumba | Nyanga | 4,000 |
| Mitzic | Woleu-Ntem | 3,900 |
| Omboué | Ogooué-Maritime | 1,700 |
| Cocobeach | Estuaire | 1,700 |
Political indicators
(Based on the "Worldwide Governance Indicators" project of the World Bank)
| Political stability: | ◈ |
| Rule of law: | ◈ |
| Effectivity: | ◈ |
| Regulatory quality: | ◈ |
| Voice accountability: | ◈ |
| Autocracy Index: | ◈ |
| Death penalty: | abolished in 2010 |
Existing trade agreements
- CEMAC - Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa
- OPEC - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Cameroon: country data and statistics
List of 152 developing countries
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