Gabon – country information

Country name	Gabon
Official name	Republic of Gabon
Capital	Libreville
continent	Africa
Area	267,668 km
Population	1 672 000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	17. 8. 1960
Longest rivers	Ogooué 850 km
State system	a pluralist republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Libreville (capital) 475,000, Port-Gentil 215,000, Franceville 90,000
Official language	French
Ethnicity/National Composition	Fang 37%, Mpongwe group 16%, Mbete 14.5%, Punu 11.5%, others 21%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic 66%, Protestant 18.5%, African Christian 12.5%, Traditional Faith 2.5%
Currency	1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$18,051 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	54.49 let (2006)

Gabon – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Cameroon	Yaounde	475 442 km	20 386 799
Kongo	Brazzaville	342 000 km	4 448 000
Equatorial Guinea	Blurry	28,051 km	736 296

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Gabon is an equatorial country on the West African coast between Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Congo.

Gabon (hooded coat) is a state in Central Africa. Common borders in the northwest – with Equatorial Guinea, – in the north with Cameroon, in the east and south – with the Republic of the Congo.

The capital is Libreville. The official language is French.

The climate is equatorial and subequatorial. Temperature from +22*С to +32*С.

The interior of Gabon is plateaus and mountains. The lowlands stretch along the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is subequatorial, in the north – equatorial. The main river is the Ogovie. Almost the entire country is covered with tropical forests, a narrow coastal plain rising to inland hills and savannas in the east and south.

The territory of Gabon is divided into four physical and geographical regions: the coastal region, the mountains, the Ntem plateau, the Bateke plateau.

The interior of Gabon is plateaus and mountains. The lowlands stretch along the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is subequatorial, in the north – equatorial. The main river is Ogovie. Rainforest covers almost the entire country, with a narrow coastal plain rising to inland hills and savannahs to the east and south.

Resorts and attractions of Gabon

The Gabonese Republic is an African state. The bay was found by Portuguese sailors in 1472 and was named Gabo – raincoat. There are two versions of the origin of this name. Firstly, this was the name of the river flowing in dense thickets, as if under a cloak, according to the second version, it was the name of a bay shaped like a cloak. Subsequently, the name was transformed into Gabon.

The country attracts tourists with beach holidays, river and ocean fishing, picturesque waterfalls.

The territory of Gabon is divided into four physical and geographical regions: the coastal region, the mountains, the Ntem plateau, the Bateke plateau.
The coastal region includes the low forested mountains of Mayombe in the south and a lowland, elongated along the entire coast, from 30 to 200 km wide, which is crossed by the lower reaches of several rivers, in particular the Ogovie, which is the main trading artery of the country.

The Crystal Mountains are located north of Ogovie. Heights fluctuate around 150-600 m. Rivers form rapids and waterfalls. The highest mountains of Gabon – Shayu (Birogu) in the south of the country reach a height of 1580 m (Mount Ibunji).

Country data

Location: Central West Africa

Time zone: CET (during summer time: CET – 1)

Total area: 267,667 km²

Land area: 257,667 km²

Water area: 10,000 km²

Length of the state border: 3,261 km

Bordering countries are attributable to:
Equatorial Guinea: 345 km
Cameroon: 349 km
Congo: 2,567 km

Coastline: 885 km

Capital: Libreville

Provinces: 9
Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Telephone code: 00 241 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Population

Population: approx. 1.7 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.9% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 6

Life expectancy: 52 (male), 52 (female)

Official language: French

Religions:

• 55-75% Christians
• 25-45% other

Climate

In the hot and humid tropical rainforest climate, the average temperature is 26 ° C in the annual mean.

The humidity is very high all year round and is often 98%.

The rainy seasons last from February to April and from October to November. When it rains then often for a long time with very high amounts of precipitation.

The dry seasons last from May to September and from December to January.

Trade winds determine the climate during the dry season.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: CFA franc (XAF)

Classification: 1 Franc = 100 Centimes

ATMs: not available

International credit cards: These are accepted by larger hotels.

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The import and export of the local currency is limited to 200,000 CFA francs.

It is not possible to exchange the local currency outside of the countries in the CFA Francs zone.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco (women only cigarettes!)
• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free. However, these must all be carried out again when you leave the country.

Travel advice

Since medical care is inadequate throughout the country, we recommend that you take out travel health insurance that includes a pick-up with a medical rescue flight.

Behavioral advice

Photographing military and police objects is prohibited. This also includes train stations and airfields.

Economy

The abundant natural resources have made Gabon one of the richest countries in Africa.

The export of crude oil, wood, manganese and uranium have allowed economic development to advance rapidly.

Industries: mining, wood processing, food processing, shipbuilding, textiles

Natural resources: iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, gold, wood, magnesium, manganese, uranium

Land use:

• Usable land: 1%
• Grain cultivation: 1%
• Pasture area: 18%
• Forests: 77%
• other: 3%

Plants

The dense rainforest on the large plateaus is replaced by the lowlands in the west with wet savannahs and mangrove forests.

Several thousand different types of plants are native here.

Animals

A popular destination for tourists are the three national parks and the many reserves, which are home to a large number of land animals and bird species.

You can often see antelopes, buffalo and elephants, as well as eagles, vultures and herons.

The country’s savannahs provide a habitat for antelopes, buffalo, elephants, hyenas and jackals.