Part 304

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 267,670 sq km land: 257,670 sq km water: 10,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries: total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone : 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Natural resources: petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops : 1% permanent pastures: 18% forests and woodland: 77% other: 3% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: deforestation; poaching

Environment - international agreements: party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

@Gabon:People

Population: 1,190,159 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (male 199,730; female 199,369) 15-64 years: 61% (male 368,086; female 359,086) 65 years and over : 5% (male 31,475; female 32,413) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.47% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 28.11 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 13.39 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 87.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.05 years male: 53.13 years female : 50.06 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.85 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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