cocoa, coffee, palm oil; livestock raising
not developed; importer of food; small fishing operations provide a
catch of about 20,000 metric tons; okoume (a tropical softwood) is the
most important timber product

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $68 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-90), $2.342 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $27 million

Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1
- 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992),
282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990)
note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF
100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since
1948

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Gabon:Transportation

Railroads:
total: 649 km single track (Transgabonese Railroad)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.437-m gauge

Highways:
total: 7,500 km
paved: 560 km
unpaved: crushed stone 960 km; earth 5,980 km

Inland waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km

Ports: Cape Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil

Merchant marine:
total: 1 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,281 GRT/12,665 DWT

Airports:
total: 69
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 28
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 8
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 23

@Gabon:Communications

Telephone system: 15,000 telephones; telephone density - 13/1,000
persons
local: NA
intercity: adequate system, comprising cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiocommunication stations, and 12 domestic
satellite links
international: 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 6, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 3 (repeaters 5)
televisions: NA

@Gabon:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard, National
Gendarmerie, National Police

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 272,025; males fit for military
service 138,197; males reach military age (20) annually 10,516 (1995
est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $154 million, 2.4% of
GDP (1993)