Gabon

Overview

Oil money has yet to ruin Gabon which is wonderful as it has 800km of coastline perfect for relaxing on. The interior is either tropical vegetation or dry savannah, although it is far the greater part the former. There are many national parks, which means the visitor can see a range of exciting creature including hippos, elephants and gorillas. The population is generally rural although there are a few larger cities. The capital, Libreville has, amongst its chalk white buildings the Village des Artisans, the Peyrie Gardens and the National Museum. If the visitor wants to experience Gabonese nightlife then this and Port Gentil on the Isle de Nadji are the places to go.

History

During the last seven centuries Bantu ethnic groups arrived in the area from several directions to escape enemies or to find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact but tribal art suggests a rich cultural heritage.

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 Como 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. American missionaries from New England established a mission at Baraka (Libreville) in 1842. In 1849 the French captured a slave ship and released the passengers at the mouth of the Como River. The slaves named their settlement Libreville meaning "free town." French explorers had penetrated Gabon's dense jungles by 1887. The most famous explorer--Savorgnan de Brazza--used Gabonese bearers and guides in his searches for the headwaters of the Congo River.

France occupied Gabon in 1885 but did not administer it until 1903. In 1910 Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa a federation that survived until 1959. The territories became independent in 1960 as the Central African Republic Chad Congo (Brazzaville) and Gabon. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Under the 1961 constitution Gabon became a republic with a presidential form of government. As revised by the 1991 constitution...more