Africa

Gabon

Gabon , officially Gabonese Republic, republic (1995 est. pop. 1,156,000), 103,346 sq mi (267,667 sq km), W central Africa. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon in the north, and on Congo (Brazzaville) in the east and south. Libreville (the capital) and Port-Gentil, both seaports, are the country’s only large cities. The country is divided into nine provinces.

Gabon is situated on the west coast of Africa and is bordered on the north by Cameroon, on the east and south by the Congo and the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the northwest by Equatorial Guinea...More Information on Gabon.

Full country name: Gabonese Republic or Gabon
Area:267,667 km²
Population: 1,389,201 (growth rate: 2.5%); birth rate: 36.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 53.6/1000; life expectancy: 55.8; density per sq mi: 13
Capital City:Libreville
People: Gabonese
Language: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Religion: Christian 55%–75%, animist, Islam less than 1%
Government: Presidential Republic
Head of State:President Omar Bongo
Head of Government: Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane

History of Gabon

During the last seven centuries, Bantu ethnic groups arrived in the area from several directions to escape enemies or find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact, but tribal art suggests rich cultural heritages. Gabon’s first European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century and named the country after the Portuguese word “gabao,” a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Komo River estuary. The coast became a center of the slave trade. Dutch, British, and French traders came in the 16th century. France assumed the status of protector by signing treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs in 1839 and 1841...More on Gabon's History.

Overview of Gabon's Economy

GDP:$4.8 billion.
GDP per capita:
$3,641s
Annual Growth:
(2004 est.): 1.1%.
Inflation:30%
Per capita income (2004 est.):
$4,579.
Avg. inflation rate (2004 est):
2.1%.
Natural resources:
Petroleum (43% of GDP), timber, manganese, uranium
Agriculture and forestry (7% of GDP): Products--cocoa, coffee, rubber, sugar, and pineapples. Cultivated land--1%.
Major Industries:
Types--petroleum related, wood processing, food and beverageprocessing.
Major Trading Partners:
U.S., EU, Asia.
Member of EU:
No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Gabon

Political System of Gabon

- Government of Gabon
- Defence Of Gabon

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

Gabon has the moist, hot climate typical of tropical regions. From June to September, there is virtually no rain but high humidity; there is occasional rain in December and January. During the remaining months rainfall is heavy. The excessive rainfall is caused by the condensation of moist air as a result of the meeting of the cold South Polar Current and the warm Guinea Current directly off the coast. At Libreville, the capital, the average annual rainfall is more than 100 inches. Further north on the coast, it is 150 inches. The temperature varies only slightly throughout the year, maintaining a daily average of 26.6°C (80°F).


Envoirnment:Lying flush on the west coast of Africa and straddling the equator...more.

Culture:A great deal of the cultural life of Gabon continues to be derived from or influenced by France...more.

People of Gabon: Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups...more.


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: All visitors need visas, proof of onward travel and an invitation from a resident or citizen of Gabon (though these last two requirements may be waived at embassies in adjoining countries). Gabonese authorities rejected some valid visas on a seemingly arbitrary basis during the elections in December 1998; this practice may still be in effect.
Health risks: Cholera, yellow fever, malaria
Time: GMT/UTC plus 1 hour
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money & Costs | Transport and Getting Around | Public holidays in Gabon | Events Of Gabon

When to Go

The best time to visit Gabon is during the dry season (May to September). The rest of the year is one muggy, scorching hot day after another, with heavy rain from evening till morning.

Also Read:Getting There & Away

What to See in Gabon

Other Tourist Attractions in Gabon

more...

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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Africa Travel Guide