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		GABON Nearly all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. There are at least 40 tribal groups with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang. Others include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke/Obamba, and Okande. There is also a population of 3,500 pygmies living in isolated villages throughout Gabon. French, the official language, is a unifying force. Approximately 12,000 French nationals live in Gabon today--more than in colonial times. POPULATION GRAPH Population: 1,233,353 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 2002 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.3% (male 205,559; female 204,796) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 376,103; female 371,422) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 37,220; female 38,253) (2002 est.) Population growth rate: 0.97% (2002 est.) Birth rate: 27.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) Death rate: 17.59 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Infant mortality rate: 93.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.11 years female: 50.25 years (2002 est.) male: 48.01 years Total fertility rate: 3.65 children born/woman (2002 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 9% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 23,000 (1999 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.) Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba), other Africans and Europeans 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality Religions: Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1% Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, 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.)