Names: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique gabonaise local short form: Gabon

Capital City: Libreville

Population: 1,424,906 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $7,200 (2006 est.)

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

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

Total Area: total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km slightly smaller than Colorado

Region: Africa

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

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

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

Labor Force: 581,000 (2006 est.)
agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25%

Exports: $6.677 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)

Imports: $1.607 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

Overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet, because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. Devaluation of its currency by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices in 1999-2000 helped growth, but drops in production hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri exported $248,217 in goods to Gabon. This ranks Gabon 171^st among the 223 international buyers of Missouri goods. Missouri exports to Gabon increased from the previous year by $232,941 a change of 1,524.88%. State exports to Gabon have decreased over the last 5 years by $248,217 a change of 1624.88%. Missouri exports account for .00%. of all 2007 US exports to Gabon.