Gabon

Relief and drainage

The narrow coastal plain—often no more than 20 miles (32 kilometres) wide in the south—is formed of sandstone and alluvium; northward it broadens to a width of 100 miles, with outcrops of chalk, limestone, and Cretaceous sandstone. North of the most westerly point, Cape Lopez, the contour of the coast becomes more jagged. The Atlantic's northward-flowing Benguela Current, which softens the southern coastline by creating sandbars, is no longer effective here. Inland, the relief is characterized by a series of granite plateaus, extending generally northwest to southeast and rising to heights of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 600 metres). Farther to the west and north, the Cristal Mountains have been dissected by the river system from the western plateau escarpment into a distinct upland area. To the south, the Ogooué River drains through a sandstone saddleback before descending to the lowlands through the granite formations of the Lambaréné region. Granite also forms the Chaillu Massif, Gabon's central watershed, south of the Ogooué, which rises to an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet, except where topped by the 3,215-foot (980-metre) elevation of Mount Iboundji.

Climate

Gabon has an equatorial climate, with year-round high temperatures and humidity. Rainfall varies from an annual average of 120 inches (3,050 millimetres) at Libreville to 150 inches on the northwest coast, with almost all of it falling between October and May. In the period from June to September there is little, if any, rainfall, but humidity remains high. Temperature shows little seasonal variation, the daily average being about 81° F (27° C).

Plant and animal life

About 75 percent of the country is covered by a dense equatorial rain forest containing more than 3,000 species of vegetation, including the okoume, a hardwood tree that forms the backbone of Gabon's wood industry. The rain forest is inhabited by antelope, monkeys, gorillas, numerous tropical birds, and several varieties of elephants.

Jan S.F. van Hoogstraten

David E. Gardinier

Settlement patterns

Gabon's major towns—Libreville, Port-Gentil, Lambaréné, Moanda, Mouila, Oyem, Franceville, and Bitam—contain nearly two-fifths of the total population. The remainder is scattered widely among some 4,000 rural villages, which are concentrated along the rivers and roads, often with a population of no more than a few families. Port-Gentil is the centre of the wood and petroleum industries, and Libreville is the administrative capital and commercial centre.

Ethnic and linguistic composition

All of Gabon's 40 or so ethnic groups, except the few thousand Pygmies, speak Bantu languages and, on that basis, can be classified into 10 larger groups. The Myene group (including the Mpongwe and Orungu), though only a small part of the population today, has played an important role in the history of the country as a result of its location along the northern coasts. The Fang, who belong to the larger Ewondo or Pahouin group also found in southern Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, account for one-third of the population; they live north of the Ogooué River. The largest groups south of the Ogooué are the Sira (including the Eshira and Punu), the Nzebi (Njabi), and the Mbete; these groups together form close to half the population. Less numerous peoples include the Benga and Seke (Sheke) in the far northwest, the Kota and Teke in the east, and the Vili along the far southern coast.

Many of the Bantu languages do not have written forms. During the 19th century Christian missionaries transliterated several of them in the Latin alphabet and prepared Bible translations and catechisms for their followers. But the French policy of limiting the use of indigenous languages solely to religious instruction inhibited the growth of other types of literature. Because of the extensive efforts to teach French, at least one-third of the Gabonese can speak the language, and more than one-quarter can read it.

Religion

A large majority of Gabon's population is Christian, with about three times as many Roman Catholics as Protestants. Though Gabonese serve as Roman Catholic bishops, they rely heavily upon foreign clergy, particularly the French Holy Ghost Fathers. The largest Protestant body, the Evangelical Church of Gabon, has Gabonese pastors in its parishes throughout the north. There also exist a small but growing Christian Alliance Church in the southwest and the tiny Evangelical Pentecostal Church (Assembly of God) in the estuary and far northern regions. A syncretic religion called Bwiti (based on an earlier secret society of the same name) came into existence in the early 20th century and later played a role in promoting solidarity among the Fang. The majority of the few thousand Muslims are immigrants from other African countries.

Demographic trends

Gabon, like its central African neighbours, has a very low population density. Since 1970, as a result of increased urbanization, the low rate of natural increase of the previous half-century appears to have given way to a relatively high growth rate. The extent to which the heavy immigration of foreign workers and Equatorial Guinean refugees has contributed to this growth is unclear. The population is relatively young—half are below age 22. Life expectancy, at 50 years for men and 53 years for women, is about average for the continent.

Resources

Gabon possesses important resources in woods and minerals and much hydroelectric potential. But its poor transportation infrastructure and lack of financing, as well as unfavourable world market conditions, hinder the development of some of these resources.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Although agriculture (mainly subsistence farming) occupies about two-thirds of the population, it plays but a small part in the economy of the country as a whole. Moreover, its appeal as a way of life has declined. Better educational and employment opportunities in the towns and cities have emptied the countryside of young people. Despite government efforts during the 1970s to promote development that would stem the rural exodus and raise foodstuffs for urban markets, by 1980 Gabon was producing only enough food to satisfy 10 to 15 percent of its needs. During the 1980s the government turned to expensive capital-intensive projects for market gardening to supply Libreville and Franceville. Efforts to revive cocoa and coffee production brought only modest results, but new projects for sugar refining at Franceville and palm oil processing at Lambaréné have worked out well. The prevalence of the tsetse fly has defeated attempts to raise beef and dairy cattle, though chicken raising has succeeded. Commercial fishing, though having considerable potential, is little developed.

For many years Gabon's forests, covering 75 to 85 percent of its territory, were the country's principal natural resource. Newly discovered and exploited mineral wealth had by the early 1970s forced raw wood and forest products into second place, and by the early 1980s, wood accounted for less than 10 percent of Gabon's exports. The principal forest districts have been at Kango, Booué, Fougamou, Ndjolé, Mitzic, and Mouila. The forest resources near the coast and along the rivers have been largely depleted. Exploitation of the forests of the interior began in the late 1970s with the construction of the first section of the Transgabon Railroad.

Industry

A manganese mine in Moanda, Gabon. [Credit: Bernard Regent/The Hutchison Library]

Since the late 1960s, revenues from petroleum have brought the government of Gabon unprecedented income, which it has used to construct infrastructure and to fund the expansion of education and health services. National budgets multiplied 15 times between the late 1960s and late '70s, when petroleum came to represent 70 percent of the country's exports. Despite slumping prices and the resulting drops in production, revenues from petroleum still provided 65 percent of national budgets during the late 1980s. More than 80 percent of production is from offshore fields, which are the most productive near Port-Gentil. The major onshore production sites are at Sette Cama and Rabi-Kounga. Gabon exports 85 percent of its petroleum production outside Africa, with the bulk of the crude oil going to France, the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. Natural gas from the fields at Port-Gentil is used largely to generate electricity.

Light industry has been expanding and diversifying since the opening in 1967 of a petroleum refinery at Port-Gentil. The refinery and its support operations (a shipyard and metalworking facilities) overshadow other manufacturing enterprises, which include lumber processing, cement and cigarette factories, a sugar refinery, breweries, light electronics, palm oil and flour mills, and textile-printing factories.

Finance and trade

Membership in the Franc Zone gives Gabon considerable stability. The CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) franc is automatically convertible to French francs, giving trading partners confidence in Gabonese currency. The government has also encouraged foreign investors with its policy of economic liberalism, although there is governmental direction and planning.

France is Gabon's most important trading partner, receiving more than a third of its exports and providing half of its imports. Other important partners are other European Common Market nations, the United States, and Japan. These same countries provide the bulk of investment funds and foreign assistance; France alone is the source of more than one-half of the total. Saudi Arabia has also given financial help. Gabon belongs to a customs union with five other central African states and a common market with four others.

Transportation

The lack of good transportation facilities has long hindered Gabon's development. The Ogooué River is navigable from the Atlantic to Ndjolé, 150 miles upstream. The Ogooué and such rivers as the Abanga and the Nyanga can be used to float logs downstream from the interior.

The difficulty of building and maintaining all-weather roads led to an expansion of air transport after World War II. Gabon acquired a network of airfields served by light planes as well as international airports located at Libreville, Port-Gentil, and Franceville. But air transport could not move such bulk goods as timber and minerals. Thus in the 1970s petroleum revenues were used to construct the Transgabon Railroad, or Transgabonais, to move such products and to prepare for the time when Gabon's petroleum reserves would be depleted. With loans and aid from France, West Germany, and international organizations, work began in 1974. The first section, from Owendo to Ndjolé, opened in 1979; the second section, to Booué, in 1983; and the third, to Franceville, at the end of 1986.

Government

Under the frequently revised constitution of 1961, Gabon is a republic under the executive direction of a president elected by direct universal suffrage for a period of seven years and a Council of Ministers appointed by the president. Provision is also made for a prime minister (appointed by the president) and a National Assembly (elected by direct suffrage) to assume legislative responsibilities and for an independent Supreme Court. After the French intervention of 1964, power became concentrated in the presidency. In 1968 the president's party, the Gabon Democratic Party (Parti Démocratique Gabonais; PDG), was declared the only one legally permitted. But in May 1990 transitional constitutional arrangements reestablished a multiparty system. A committee was appointed to formulate a new constitution.

The judicial system consists of a series of customary law courts at the lowest level, above which are a criminal court, a court of appeals, and the Supreme Court (all located in Libreville). The High Court, which is composed of members elected from the National Assembly, has the power to try the president and members of government. An audit office (cour des comptes) was created in 1977 to oversee the government's finances.

Administratively, Gabon is divided into nine provinces, which are further divided into préfectures and sous-préfectures (subprefectures). The provincial governors, the prefects, and the subprefects are all appointed by the president.

Education

The educational system continues to be modeled closely after that of France. French remains the sole medium of instruction; Bantu languages are studied as electives at the secondary and higher levels. While education is officially mandatory from the ages of 6 to 16, the bulk of children do not attend long enough to achieve literacy or numeracy. The Omar Bongo University, founded in 1970, has two- and three-year programs in most fields and some advanced studies. The University of Science and Technology of Masuku, near Franceville, opened in 1986. Many Gabonese study abroad, particularly in France, at the university and graduate levels.

Health and welfare

Health facilities remain inadequate, particularly outside the Libreville area, despite improvements during the 1970s and '80s. The government provides nearly all health care services. The internationally known hospital operated by Albert Schweitzer at Lambaréné from 1924 to 1965 receives government assistance. Malaria, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis, syphilis, and other infectious diseases are widespread problems.