Gabon is a West African country bordered by Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in the North, the Republic of the Congo in the East, and the Atlantic Ocean in the West. The terrain is made up of a narrow coastal plain, a hilly interior and savanna to the East and South. A very small area is arable and there are few crops. Meadows and pastures take up about one fifth of the land. Most of the country is covered by a dense equatorial rain forest containing more than 3000 species of vegetation, including the okoume which is a hardwood tree that forms the backbone of Gabon‘s wood industry. Ogooue, the largest river in West Africa between Niger and Congo, drains most of Gabon. The climate is tropical (equatorial-hot and humid) throughout the year.

Gabon is one of the highest per capita income nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Its economy used to depend on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. Today, the oil industry, which accounts for more than one-third of GDP, is the main source of income. Other major natural resources of the country are uranium, gold and the extensive forests that cover 85 percent of the country. Cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil and fish are the main agricultural products.
 

GDP at Current Market Prices:	6416.90 million US$ (2004)
Per Capita GDP:	4262.18 US$ (2004)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	7.80% Agriculture, 61.0% Industry, 31.0% Services, (2003)
Total Exports:	4048.21 million US$ (2004)
Total Imports:	2766.11 million US$ (2004)
Major Exports Items:	Crude oil, timber, manganese and uranium
Major Imports Items:	Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals and petroleum products
Major Trading Partners:	France, US, China and Netherlands

Le Pratique du Gabon

Direction Générale de l’Informatique

Ministére des Finances, de l’Economie, du Budget et de la Privatisation

Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale

Direction Générale de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques