_#_Environment: deforestation

_*_People
_#_Population: 1,079,980 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 104 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 56 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Gabonese (sing., pl.); adjective--Gabonese

_#_Ethnic divisions: about 40 Bantu tribes, including four major
tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000
expatriate Africans and Europeans, including 27,000 French

_#_Religion: Christian 55-75%, Muslim less than 1%, remainder animist

_#_Language: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira,
Bandjabi

_#_Literacy: 61% (male 74%, female 48%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 120,000 salaried; agriculture 65.0%, industry and
commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%, government 2.5%; 58% of population of
working age (1983)

_#_Organized labor: there are 38,000 members of the national trade
union, the Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Gabonese Republic

_#_Type: republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties
legalized 1990)

_#_Capital: Libreville

_#_Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue,
Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo,
Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

_#_Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)

_#_Constitution: 21 February 1961, revised 15 April 1975

_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the
Supreme Court; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted

_#_National holiday: Renovation Day (Gabonese Democratic Party
established), 12 March (1968)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December
1967);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Casimir OYE-MBA (since 3
May 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG,
former sole party), El Hadj O