Gabon Map

The Gabonese Republic is a Central African nation, located along the Atlantic Coast on the Gulf of Guinea. Gabon, as it is often called, is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo. Gabon has a total area of 267,667 square kilometers (103,347 square miles), with its capital and largest city in Libreville on the coast.

Gabon has a long history, dating back to the Congo Pygmy people that lived in the region as its earliest inhabitants, followed by the Bantu people who migrated into the region. European explorers arrived in the region that is now Gabon in the fifteenth century, and was named by the Portuguese, who established trade. The French arrived, founding the town of Franceville around 1875, officially occupying Gabon in 1885. Gabon became a French territory as part of French Equatorial Africa from 1910 to 1959, gaining independence on August 17, 1960.

Gabon has a population of about 1.5 million, who are a variety of ethnic groups, including Fang, Punu, Nzebi, and Mpongwe, among others. Most of these ethnic groups are of Bantu origin, with a total of about 40 ethnic groups. About 10,000 of Gabon's population are native French. The official language of Gabon is French, reflecting the country's colonial ties to France, and is spoken by about 80 percent of the population. About 32 percent of the population speaks Fang as a first language. English has been proposed as another official language of Gabon. The predominant religion in Gabon is Christianity, along with Bwiti, Islam, and various native animist religions.

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Last Updated On : March 12, 2013