Gabon

Broadcast media

state owns and operates 2 TV stations and 2 radio broadcast stations; a few private radio and TV stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible; satellite service subscriptions are available (2007)

Internet country code

.ga

Internet users

total: 835,408 | percent of population: 48.1% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations | domestic: a growing mobile cellular network with multiple providers is making telephone service more widely available with mobile cellular teledensity approaching 150 per 100 persons | international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 18,946 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 190

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 2,582,542 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 149 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Agriculture - products

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

Budget

revenues: $2.9 billion | expenditures: $3.845 billion (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-6.6% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Central bank discount rate

3% (31 December 2010) | 4.25% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 109

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15.5% (31 December 2016 est.) | 15.3% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38

Current account balance

$-1.432 billion (2016 est.) | $-568.3 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Debt - external

$5.321 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $5.097 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Economy - overview

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most sub-Saharan African nations, but because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon relied on timber and manganese exports until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. From 2010 to 2016, oil accounted for approximately 80% of Gabon’s exports, 45% of its GDP, and 60% of its state budget revenues. | Gabon faces fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. A rebound of oil prices from 2001 to 2013 helped growth, but declining production, as some fields passed their peak production, has hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. GDP grew nearly 6% per year over the 2010-14 period, but slowed significantly in 2015 as oil prices declined. Low oil prices also weakened government revenue and negatively affected the trade and current account balances. | Despite an abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management and over-reliance on oil has stifled the economy. Power cuts and water shortages are frequent. Significant cuts in budget expenditures - Gabon’s budget has contracted for four years in a row - have not extended to the government’s priority projects, like a new stadium for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Exchange rates

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - | 593.01 (2016 est.) | 593.01 (2015 est.) | 591.45 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.)

Exports

$4.364 billion (2016 est.) | $5.023 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 109

Exports - commodities

crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium

Exports - partners

US 45.7%, China 14.6%, South Korea 6.6%, Ireland 5.5%, Italy 5.1% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$14.02 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$35.78 billion (2016 est.) | $34.61 billion (2015 est.) | $32.96 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 122

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 40.3% | government consumption: 15.9% | investment in fixed capital: 31.7% | investment in inventories: 0.1% | exports of goods and services: 40.8% | imports of goods and services: -28.7% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 4.3% | industry: 44.2% | services: 51.4% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$19,000 (2016 est.) | $18,900 (2015 est.) | $18,400 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 89

GDP - real growth rate

2.1% (2016 est.) | 3.9% (2015 est.) | 4.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122

Gross national saving

24% of GDP (2016 est.) | 29.3% of GDP (2015 est.) | 43.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.5% | highest 10%: 32.7% (2005)

Imports

$3.19 billion (2016 est.) | $3.061 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

Imports - partners

France 24.7%, Belgium 14.7%, China 12.8%, Australia 6.7% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

-2.5% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Industries

petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (2016 est.) | -0.3% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Labor force

546,300 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 64% | industry: 12% | services: 24% (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

34.3% (2015 est.)

Public debt

42.6% of GDP (2016 est.) | 38.2% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$804.1 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.877 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

Stock of broad money

$3.207 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $3.483 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 141

Stock of domestic credit

$3.097 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $2.382 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Stock of narrow money

$2.053 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $2.251 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Taxes and other revenues

20.3% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Unemployment rate

28% (2015 est.) | 20.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 198

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

6 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122

Crude oil - exports

202,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Crude oil - production

210,800 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 37

Crude oil - proved reserves

2 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 38

Electricity - consumption

1.907 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 146

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Electricity - from fossil fuels

50.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

49.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 40

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Electricity - imports

337 million kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 87

Electricity - installed generating capacity

670,000 kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - production

2.045 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Electricity access

population without electricity: 200,000 | electrification - total population: 89% | electrification - urban areas: 97% | electrification - rural areas: 38% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

957 million cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Natural gas - production

378 million cu m (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Natural gas - proved reserves

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 70

Refined petroleum products - consumption

22,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Refined petroleum products - exports

5,118 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Refined petroleum products - imports

8,851 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Refined petroleum products - production

16,810 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 93

Area

total: 267,667 sq km | land: 257,667 sq km | water: 10,000 sq km | country comparison to the world: 78

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Colorado

Climate

tropical; always hot, humid

Coastline

885 km

Elevation

mean elevation: 377 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m | highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; burgeoning population exacerbating disposal of solid waste; oil industry contributing to water pollution; wildlife poaching

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Geography - note

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

Irrigated land

40 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 3,261 km | border countries (3): Cameroon 349 km, Republic of the Congo 2,567 km, Equatorial Guinea 345 km

Land use

agricultural land: 19% | arable land 1.2%; permanent crops 0.6%; permanent pasture 17.2% | forest: 81% | other: 0% (2011 est.)

Location

Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

none

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Population - distribution

the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest

Terrain

narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Administrative divisions

9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Capital

name: Libreville | geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Gabon | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

history: previous 1961; latest drafted May 1990, adopted 15 March 1991, promulgated 26 March 1991 | amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, by the Council of Ministers, or by one-third of either house of Parliament; passage requires Constitutional Court evaluation, at least two-thirds majority vote of two-thirds of the Parliament membership convened in joint session, and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on Gabon’s democratic form of government cannot be amended; amended several times, last in 2011 (2017)

Country name

conventional long form: Gabonese Republic | conventional short form: Gabon | local long form: Republique Gabonaise | local short form: Gabon | etymology: name originates from the Portuguese word "gabao" meaning "cloak," which is roughly the shape that the early explorers gave to the estuary of the Komo River by the capital of Libreville

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia AKUETTEH (since 13 August 2014); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe | embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville | mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville; pouch: 2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270 | telephone: [241] 01-45-71-00 | FAX: [241] 01-74-55-07

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael MOUSSA-NDONG (since September 9, 2011) | chancery: 2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009 | telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 | FAX: [1] (301) 332-0668

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ali BONGO Ondimba (since 16 October 2009) | head of government: Prime Minister Emmanuel ISSOZE-NGONDET (since 29 September 2016) | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 27 August 2016 (next to be held in August 2023); prime minister appointed by the president | election results: Ali BONGO Ondimba reelected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 49.8%, Jean PING (UFC) 48.2%, other 2.0%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue; green represents the country's forests and natural resources, gold represents the equator (which transects Gabon) as well as the sun, blue represents the sea

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

17 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 4 permanent specialized supreme courts - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation, Administrative Supreme Court or Conseil d'Etat, Accounting Supreme Court or Cour des Comptes, Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle - and the non-permanent Court of State Security, initiated only for cases of high treason by the president and criminal activity by executive branch officials | judge selection and term of office: appointment and tenure of Supreme, Administrative, Accounting, and State Security courts NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed - 3 by the national president, 3 by the president of the Senate, and 3 by the president of the National Assembly; judges serve 7-year, single renewable terms | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; county courts; military courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (number of seats not fixed; members indirectly elected by municipal councils and departmental assemblies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds; members serve 6-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: Senate - last held on 13 December 2014 (next to be held in January 2020); National Assembly - last held on 17 December 2011 (next originally scheduled on 27 December 2016, was rescheduled several times, latest to April 2018) | election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 81, CLR 7, PSD 2, ADERE-UPG 1, UPG 1, PGCI 1, independent 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 113, RPG 3, other 4

National anthem

name: "La Concorde" (The Concorde) | lyrics/music: Georges Aleka DAMAS | note: adopted 1960

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

National symbol(s)

black panther; national colors: green, yellow, blue

Political parties and leaders

Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean-Boniface ASSELE] | Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE [DIDJOB Divungui di Ndinge] | Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG [Ali BONGO Ondimba] | Independent Center Party of Gabon or PGCI [Luccheri GAHILA] | Rally for Gabon or RPG | Social Democratic Party or PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU] | Union for the New Republic or UPRN [Louis Gaston MAYILA] | Union of Gabonese People or UPG [Richard MOULOMBA] | Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Jean PING]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Gabones Trade Union Confederation or GOSYGA [Martin ALLINI] (affiliated with the International Union Confederation) | National Convention of Trade Unions in the education sector or CONASYSED (banned by the governemnt in early 2017)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Following, independence from France in 1960, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-ruling heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009). President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in December 2002 and the presidential election in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, a new election brought his son, Ali BONGO Ondimba, to power. Despite constrained political conditions, Gabon's small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make it one of the more stable African countries. | President Ali BONGO Ondimba’s controversial August 2016 reelection sparked unprecedented opposition protests that resulted in the burning of the parliament building. The election was contested by the opposition after fraudulent results were flagged by international election observers. Gabon’s Constitutional Court reviewed the election results but ruled in favor of President BONGO, upholding his win and extending his mandate to 2023.

Military branches

Gabonese Defense Forces (Forces de Defense Gabonaise): Land Force (Force Terrestre), Gabonese Navy (Marine Gabonaise), Gabonese Air Forces (Forces Aerienne Gabonaises, FAG) (2012)

Military expenditures

1.43% of GDP (2016) | 1.19% of GDP (2015) | 1.14% of GDP (2014) | 1.6% of GDP (2013) | 1.62% of GDP (2012) | country comparison to the world: 76

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 373,307/female 369,237) | 15-24 years: 20.46% (male 181,823/female 180,837) | 25-54 years: 29.52% (male 262,511/female 260,673) | 55-64 years: 4.36% (male 37,178/female 40,014) | 65 years and over: 3.76% (male 28,664/female 38,011) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

34.2 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

6.5% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 79

Contraceptive prevalence rate

31.1% (2012)

Death rate

13 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

Demographic profile

Gabon’s oil revenues have given it one of the highest per capita income levels in sub-Saharan Africa, but the wealth is not evenly distributed and poverty is widespread. Unemployment is especially prevalent among the large youth population; more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25. With a fertility rate still averaging more than 4 children per woman, the youth population will continue to grow and further strain the mismatch between Gabon’s supply of jobs and the skills of its labor force. | Gabon has been a magnet to migrants from neighboring countries since the 1960s because of the discovery of oil, as well as the country’s political stability and timber, mineral, and natural gas resources. Nonetheless, income inequality and high unemployment have created slums in Libreville full of migrant workers from Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, and elsewhere in West Africa. In 2011, Gabon declared an end to refugee status for 9,500 remaining Congolese nationals to whom it had granted asylum during the Republic of the Congo’s civil war between 1997 and 2003. About 5,400 of these refugees received permits to reside in Gabon.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 67.4 | youth dependency ratio: 59.9 | elderly dependency ratio: 7.6 | potential support ratio: 13.2 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 97.2% of population | rural: 66.7% of population | total: 93.2% of population | urban: 2.8% of population | rural: 33.3% of population | total: 6.8% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2014)

Ethnic groups

Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

3.6% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 16

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,500 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

48,000 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Health expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 175

Hospital bed density

6.3 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 44.1 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 50.8 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 37.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Languages

French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 52.1 years | male: 51.7 years | female: 52.5 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 83.2% | male: 85.3% | female: 81% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne disease: malaria and dengue fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Major urban areas - population

LIBREVILLE (capital) 707,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

291 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Median age

total: 18.6 years | male: 18.4 years | female: 18.8 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.3 years | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) | adjective: Gabonese

Net migration rate

-2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 163

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

15% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 127

Population

1,772,255 | note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Population distribution

the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest

Population growth rate

1.92% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Religions

Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 13.7%, other Christian 32.4%, Muslim 6.4%, animist 0.3%, other 0.3%, none/no answer 5% (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 43.4% of population | rural: 31.5% of population | total: 41.9% of population | urban: 56.6% of population | rural: 68.5% of population | total: 58.1% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female | total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.39 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 35.7% | male: 30.5% | female: 41.9% (2010 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 87.6% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 2.38% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Gabon is primarily a destination and transit country for adults and children from West and Central African countries subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; boys are forced to work as street vendors, mechanics, or in the fishing sector, while girls are subjected to domestic servitude or forced to work in markets or roadside restaurants; West African women are forced into domestic servitude or prostitution; men are reportedly forced to work on cattle farms; some foreign adults end up in forced labor in Gabon after initially seeking the help of human smugglers to help them migrate clandestinely; traffickers operate in loose, ethnic-based criminal networks, with female traffickers recruiting and facilitating the transport of victims from source countries; in some cases, families turn child victims over to traffickers, who promise paid jobs in Gabon | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Gabon does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Gabon’s existing laws do not prohibit all forms of trafficking, and the government failed to pass a legal amendment drafted in 2013 to criminalize the trafficking of adults; anti-trafficking law enforcement decreased in 2014, dropping from 50 investigations to 16, and the only defendant to face prosecution fled the country; government efforts to identify and refer victims to protective services declined from 50 child victims in 2013 to just 3 in 2014, none of whom was referred to a care facility; the government provided support to four centers offering services to orphans and vulnerable children – 14 child victims identified by an NGO received government assistance; no adult victims have been identified since 2009 (2015)

Airports

44 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 99

Airports - with paved runways

total: 14 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 | under 914 m: 1 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 30 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 | 914 to 1,523 m: 9 | under 914 m: 14 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

TR (2016)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 141

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 5 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 7 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 137,331 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

gas 807 km; oil 1,639 km; water 3 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil | oil terminal(s): Gamba, Lucina

Railways

total: 649 km | standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 107

Roadways

total: 9,170 km | paved: 1,097 km | unpaved: 8,073 km (2007) | country comparison to the world: 140

Waterways

1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 49