Gabon is a West African country, crossed by the equator. It covers an area of 267,667 km2 and is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north and the Republic of Congo to the east and south, being bathed in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The most important cities are Libreville, the capital, with 684,800 residents (2004), Port-Gentil (120,600 residents), Franceville (42,500 residents), Oyem (24,300 residents) and Moanda (29,800 residents).
A dense equatorial forest covers about 3/4 of the country.
Climate
The climate is equatorial, with very high average temperatures and abundant rainfall, especially between October and May.
Economy
Gabon has an economy based on extractive industry, forestry and agriculture. Oil is the country’s main source of revenue, and reserves of manganese, uranium and natural gas are also important. In agriculture, the main productions are yams, cassava, bananas, sugar cane, corn, peanuts, palm oil, cocoa and coffee. Gabon’s main trading partners are France, the United States of America, Japan and Spain.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 3.0.
Population
The population is 1 424 906 residents (2006), which corresponds to a population density of 5 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 36.16% and 12.25%. Average life expectancy is 54.49 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.653 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) was not assigned (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the population will be 1 433 000 residents. About 36% of the population belongs to the Fang ethnic group, 15% to Mpongwé, 14% to M’Bédé, 12% to Punu and 23% are distributed among other small ethnic groups. Religious preferences are divided between Catholicism, with 66%, Protestantism, with 19%, and traditional beliefs, with 18%. The official language is French, but there are, however, 40 different dialects.
History
In 1960, Gabon became independent from France. During that decade, the power struggle generated some conflicts, but since the 1970s it has been a politically stable country. The regime is strongly presidential. Since 1967, the President of the Republic has been Omar Bongo. For Gabon democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Gabon, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Gabon. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Gabon
Features city, country and political maps of Gabon in Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea.
