Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang. Others include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, and Okande. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, is a unifying force. More than 10,000 French people live in Gabon, and France predominates foreign cultural and commercial influences. Historical and environmental factors caused Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940. It is one of the least-densely inhabited countries in Africa, and a labor shortage is a major obstacle to development and a draw for foreign workers. The population is generally accepted to be just over 1 million but remains in dispute. Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. ... The Beti-Pahuin are a group of related peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. ... The Eshira people are a Bantu ethnic group of Gabon primarily living in the forests and grasslands south of the Ogowe River and west of its tributary the NGounié. The Eshira migrated into the area sometime in the 18th century, after wars with the Bakele and other groups. ... The Bapounou (or Pounou) are one of the four major peoples of Gabon, inhabiting interior mountain and grassland areas in the southwest of the country, around the upper NGounié and Nyanga Rivers. ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... An official language is a language that is given a privileged legal status in a state, or other legally-defined territory. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Population: 1,208,436
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 2000 est.) The Red Ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus... World map showing Life expectancy Life expectancy is the average number of years remaining for a living being (or the average for a class of living beings) of a given age to live. ... For early system failures, see failure rate. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the deceased. ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 201,737; female 200,764)
15-64 years: 61% (male 371,359; female 364,982)
65 years and over: 6% (male 34,478; female 35,116) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.08% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 27.6 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 16.83 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 96.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.08 years
male: 48.94 years
female: 51.26 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.73 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:

1. Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke)
2. other Africans, notably 'forrest people' (pygmee, now sedentarizing) such as the Babongo tribe
3. Europeans 154,000, including 120,000 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality)

Religions: Christian 55%-75%, Muslim less than 1%, animist (mainly Bwiti, circa 30%, the third official religion) Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the New Testament accounts of the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( (help· info)), submission (to the will of God) is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... In religion, the term Animism is used in a number of ways. ... Bwiti is a religious initiation ceremony performed by the Mitsogo people of Gabon and the Fang people of Gabon and Cameroon. ...

Languages: French (official since colonial rule), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 63.2%
male: 73.7%
female: 53.3% (1995 est.) World illiteracy rates by country The traditional definition of Literacy is the ability to read and write. ...