Location:
Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 S, 11 45 E
Map references:
Africa
Area: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation extremes: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 267,667 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 77
land:
257,667 sq km
water:
10,000 sq km
slightly smaller than Colorado
total: 2,551 km
border countries:
Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
885 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
tropical; always hot, humid
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point:
Mont Iboundji 1,575 m
petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
arable land: 1.21%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops:
0.64%
other:
98.15% (2011)
44.5 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
164 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total: 0.14 cu km/yr (61%/10%/29%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita:
97.68 cu m/yr (2005)
deforestation; poaching
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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