Gabon
Population
1,384,000 peopleCapital
LibrevilleCurrency
Central African CFA francLanguages spoken in Gabon
FrenchMap of Gabon
Area in square kilometers
267,668 km2Gross domestic product per capita
$ 7,055
Gabon has been a major oil producer for many decades. Historically,
oil revenues accounted for approximately 60% of the government's
budget, more than 40% of GDP, and 75% of export earnings. Despite
holding Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil reserves, oil
Gabon is also the third largest producer of manganese and holds a
quarter of the world's known reserves of this mineral. Manganese is
Gabon's third-largest source of export earnings after oil and timber.
Gabon is currently an EITI Candidate Country. It now has until 9 March
2010 to undertake Validation.
On 28 July 2004, Mr. Paul Toungui, Minister of Economy, Finance, and
Budget of Gabon informed the World Bank of his country's commitment to
Gabon has a small, professional military of about 5,000 personnel,
divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and national police.
Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have
not been trained for an offensive role
Gabon is divided into nine provinces and further divided into 37
departments.
The provinces are:
1. Estuaire
2. Haut-Ogooué
3. Moyen-Ogooué
spokesperson, announced that Gabon's cabinet council had decided to
formally abolish the death penalty, which had not been applied in the
country in over a decade.
Provinces and departments
-
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Gabon map Gabon is a developing nation on the
western coast of central Africa. French is the official language; few
Gabonese speak English. Facilities for tourism outside the capital
city, Libreville, are available, but they are often limited and can be
expensive
CRIME: In Gabon, petty thievery is common. Violent crime is more
common in urban areas, and there have been cases of armed robberies in
homes, restaurants and at beaches frequented by foreigners.
Occasionally, Americans or Europeans have been victims of crime.
The U.S
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Gabon is a francophone country; travelers who
do not speak French will face difficulties in communication associated
with the language barrier.
Americans should always carry identification with them in the event
they are stopped at a police checkpoint
Gabon is a haven of prosperity and stability in equatorial Africa.
Gabon was discovered by the Portuguese in 1470 and began to attract
French traders around 1840. It became a French colony in the second
Gabon is located on the edge of the Congo Basin, the richest tropical
forest complex in Africa in terms of fauna and flora. The forests of
Gabon may rival those of South America. They house 8,000 plant species
its small population, Gabon is one of the richest countries per capita
in Africa. In 1970, oil exploration and output rose from 5 million
tons to 17.2 million tons in 1994 and turned the Gabon into the
richest country in sub-Saharan Africa
Air Gabon has recently gone out of business. Air France flies from
Paris to Libreville, and Royal Air Maroc flies from Casablanca to
Gabon. Air Service also flies to Douala (Cameroon), and Air Ethiopia
flies from Addis Ababa
Gabon is a country in Western Central Africa. It lies on the Equator,
on the Atlantic Ocean coast, between the Republic of the Congo to the
south and east, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest and Cameroon to the
north.
Very few people speak english in Gabon, so some knowledge of French is
an asset.
Buy
-
Eat
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The Balbool restaurant serves western delicious food with very cheap
prices
Gabon had no national park system. The Gabonese government has
been working closely with The Wildlife Conservation Society
(WCS) on conservation issues for the past ten years." - Sept. 4,
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.
French then took control, and Gabon was administered (1843 – 86) with
French West Africa. In 1886 the colony of French Congo was established
to include both Gabon and the Congo; in 1910 Gabon became a separate
colony within French Equatorial Africa. An overseas territory of
Much of Gabon, which is situated astride the equator, is drained by
the Ogooué River (and its tributaries, the Ngounie and the Ivindo),
which flows into the Atlantic through a long and broad estuary. The
Since the 1970s the Gabonese economy has been centered on the oil
industry, which has provided it with one of the highest per capita
incomes in sub-Saharan Africa and accounts for almost 80% of its
export income and 50% of its GDP. Gabon's economy is subject to
additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF
targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the
government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from
the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and
administrative reform
For administrative purposes, Gabon is divided into 9 provinces, which
are further divided into 36 prefectures and 8 separate subprefectures.
The president appoints the provincial governors, the prefects, and the
subprefects.
Principal Government Officials
Gabon has a small, professional military of about 10,000 personnel,
divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and national police.
Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have
not been trained for an offensive role. A well-trained, well-equipped
Gabon's economy is dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise 65% of the
Government of Gabon budget, 43% of gross domestic product (GDP), and
81% of exports. Oil production is now declining rapidly from its high
point of 370,000 barrels per day in 1997
Gabon was first explored by the Portuguese navigator Diego Cam in the
15th century. In 1472, the Portuguese explorers encountered the mouth
of the Como River and named it “Rio de Gabao,” river of Gabon, which
later became the name of the country
Gabon's president Omar Bongo, who is one of the longest-reigning heads
of state in the world.(GABON)(Interview) (African Business)
Gabon and Congo-Brazza: unidentical twins. (Spotlight). (African
Business)
Gabon.(Country overview) (New Internationalist)
Search HighBeam Research for:
The earliest humans in Gabon were believed to be the Babinga, or
Pygmies, dating back to 7000 B.C., who were later followed by Bantu
groups from southern and eastern Africa. Now there are many tribal
groups in the country, the largest being the Fang peoples, who
everything in Gabon is so newly accessible that just by being there
you're already off the beaten path and in the middle of a whole new
world. And if you happen to be travelling with a 4WD, mechanic, cash
the Southern Gabon coast, and is renown for - wait for it - surfing
hippos. The wilds of Eastern Gabon are where you'll find the Ivindo
National Park, with its own eco-camp and resident elephants and
gorillas.
Gabon is an independent republic which lies in the bight of Africa and
forms part of the West Central Region of Africa. The capital city is
Libreville. Other major towns are Franceville and Lambarene and
Port-Gentil. The official language is French.
Gabon is rich in natural resources, but poor fiscal management has
hindered the economy in the past. The government is taking steps to
improve this situation and has implemented various structural reforms.
The international time zone for Gabon is GMT +1. The international
dialling code for Gabon is +241. The principal airlines that fly to
Gabon are Air Afrique, Air Gabon and Sabena. Gabon has an
international airport at Libreville as well as 5 domestic airports and
Gabon National Parks - 10% of the Gabon's area is set aside for
gorillas, elephants and chimps.
Help Protect Gabon's Langoué Bai
Page with information about Langoué Bai, one of the five most
important forest clearings in Africa.
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Gabon page was last modified on: Friday, 03-Apr-2009 09:06:16 CEST
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Flag of Gabon is three equal horizontal bands of green at top, yellow, and blue.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Gabonese Republic
Geography
Area: 267,667 sq. km. (103,347 sq. mi.); about the size of Colorado.
revised in 2003), Gabon is a republic with a presidential form of
government. The National Assembly has 120 deputies elected for a
5-year term. The president is elected by universal suffrage for a
7-year term. The president can appoint and dismiss the prime minister,
that Gabon had an insufficient number of people for a two-party
system, the two party leaders agreed on a single list of candidates.
In the February 1961 election, held under the new presidential system,
M'Ba became President and Aubame became Foreign Minister.
Gabon is an independent republic which lies in the bight of Africa and
forms part of the West Central Region of Africa.
Comment?
Related Topix: Travel, Gabon Travel, World News, Africa, Medicine,
Malaria, Health, Agriculture, Science
President Omar Bongo of Gabon, Africa's longest-serving ruler, has
traveled to Europe and temporarily stepped down as head of state on
health grounds, officials said Saturday.
Comment?
Related Topix: Omar Bongo, Africa, World News
Fri May 15, 2009
Gabon - From Someone Who Lived There For 6 Months
by mtemperley
4 Tips 1 Pictures
3.
Isabelle
by ivachon
8 Tips 18 Pictures
4.
current situation: Gabon is predominantly a destination country for
children trafficked from other African countries for the purpose of
forced labor; girls are primarily trafficked for domestic servitude,
forced market vending, forced restaurant labor, and sexual
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Gabon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for
its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human
trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to convict and
punish trafficking offenders; the government has not reported the
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