Gabon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gabon is a sovereign state on the west coast of Central Africa.
Located on the equator, Gabon is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west.
It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi), and its population is estimated at 1.5 million people.
Its capital and largest city is Libreville.
Since its independence from France on August 17, 1960, Gabon has had three presidents.
In the early 1990s, Gabon introduced a multi-party system and a new democratic constitution, which allowed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed many government institutions.
Gabon was also a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2010-2011 term.
Low population density, abundant petroleum, and foreign private investment (ambiguous) have helped make Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest HDI and the third-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the region (after Equatorial Guinea and Botswana).
Gabonese Republic / République Gabonaise (French)
Motto: "Union, Travail, Justice" (French) "Union, Work, Justice"
Anthem: La Concorde / The Concord
Capital and largest city:
Libreville (0°23′N 9°27′E)
Official languages: French
Vernacular languages:
• Fang
• Myene
• Punu
• Nzebi
Ethnic groups: (2000)
• 28.6% Fang
• 10.2% Punu
• 8.9% Nzebi
• 6.7% French
• 4.1% Mpongwe
• 154,000 others
Demonym:
• Gabonese
• Gabonaise
Government:
• Presidential republic
• President:
• Prime Minister:
Legislature:
• Parliament
Upper house:
• Senate
Lower house:
• National Assembly
Independence from France:
• August 17, 1960
Area
• Total:
267,667 km2 (76th) - 103,347 sq mi
• Water (%):
3.76%
Population:
2009 estimate - 1,475,000 (150th)
Density:
5.5/km2 (216th) - 14.3/sq mi
GDP (PPP): 2014 estimate
• Total: $32.682 billion
• Per capita: $20,612
Currency: Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zone: WAT (UTC+1) Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+1) Drives on the right
Calling code: +241
ISO 3166 code: GA Internet TLD: .ga