Gabon
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry information - Gabon
Country name - conventional long form : Gabonese Republic
Country name - conventional short form : Gabon
Country name - local long form : Republique gabonaise
Country name - local short form : Gabon
Country name - former :
Country code : GB
Government type : republic; multiparty presidential regime
Capital - name : Libreville
Capital - time difference : UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 17 August (1960)
Population :
Nationality - noun : Gabonese (singular and plural)
Nationality - adjective : Gabonese
Languages : French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Currency (code) : Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code : XAF
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Major infectious diseases - note :
Gabon is located Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea. The climate is tropical; always hot, humid. The terrain is narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : 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 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.
