terior; 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, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% other: 98% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 150 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: deforestation; poaching

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

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

People Gabon

Population: 1,233,353 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 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.3% (male 205,559; female 204,796) 15-64
years: 60.6% (male 376,103; female 371,422) 65 years and over: 6.1%
(male 37,220; female 38,253) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.97% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 27.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 17.59 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 93.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 50.25 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 3.65 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 23,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings
(Fang,