Location Western 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
total: 267,670 sq km
land: 257,670 sq km
water: 10,000 sq km

Area - comparative slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries
total: 2,551 km
border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline 885 km

Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; 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

Land use
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 77%
other: 3% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 40 sq km (1993 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

NOTE: The information regarding Gabon on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Gabon Geography 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Gabon Geography 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.