Gabon

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Gabon (disambiguation).

Gabonese Republic
République gabonaise (French)
Motto: "Union, Travail, Justice" (French)
"Union, Work, Justice"
Anthem: "La Concorde" (French)
"The Concord"
Capital
and largest city
Libreville
0°23′N 9°27′E / 0.383°N 9.450°E / 0.383; 9.450
Official languagesFrench
Regional languages
List
Ethnic groups
Religion
(2021)[1]
Demonym(s)
  • Gabonese
  • Gabonaise
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic under a military junta[2]
Brice Oligui Nguema
Joseph Owondault Berre
Raymond Ndong Sima
LegislatureParliament of Gabon (suspended)
Independence from 
France
• Republic established
28 November 1958
• Granted
17 August 1960
30 August 2023
Area
• Total
267,668 km2 (103,347 sq mi) (76th)
• Water (%)
3.76%
Population
• 2023 estimate
2,397,368[6] (146th)
• Density
7.9/km2 (20.5/sq mi) (216th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $41.922 billion[7] (132nd)
• Per capita
Increase $19,165[7] (83rd)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $19.319 billion[7] (117th)
• Per capita
Decrease $8,831[7] (75th)
Gini (2017)38[8]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Decrease 0.693[9]
medium (123rd)
CurrencyCentral African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+241
ISO 3166 codeGA
Internet TLD.ga

Gabon (/ɡəˈbɒn/ gə-BON; French pronunciation: [ɡabɔ̃] ⓘ), officially the Gabonese Republic (French: République gabonaise), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, 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 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and a population of 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains (the Cristal Mountains and the Chaillu Massif in the centre), and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country's capital and largest city.

Gabon's original inhabitants were the pygmy peoples. Beginning in the 14th century, Bantu migrants began settling in the area as well. The Kingdom of Orungu was established around 1700. The region was colonised by France in the late 19th century. Since its independence from France in 1960, Gabon has had three presidents. In the 1990s, it introduced a multi-party system and a democratic constitution that aimed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed some governmental institutions. Despite this, the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) remained the dominant party until its removal from the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état.

Gabon is a developing country, ranking 123rd in the Human Development Index. It is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa in terms of per capita income; however, large parts of the population are very poor. Omar Bongo came to office in 1967 and created a dynasty, which stabilized its power through a clientist network, Françafrique.[10]

The official language of Gabon is French, and Bantu ethnic groups constitute around 95% of the country's population. Christianity is the nation's predominant religion, practised by about 80% of the population. With petroleum and foreign private investment, it has the fourth highest HDI[11] (after Mauritius, Seychelles, and South Africa) and the fifth highest GDP per capita (PPP) (after Seychelles, Mauritius, Equatorial Guinea, and Botswana) of any African nation. Gabon's nominal GDP per capita is $10,149 in 2023 according to OPEC.[12]

  1. ^ "Country Summary".
  2. ^ Obangome, Gerauds Wilfried (30 August 2023). "Gabonese military officers announce on television they have seized power". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  3. ^ "General Nguema appointed transitional president of Gabon following coup". Anadolu Agency. Kigali, Rwanda. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Gabon: Joseph Owondault Berre nommé vice-président de la transition". ACP (in French). 12 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Gabon junta names former PM Raymond Ndong Sima as interim PM - statement". Reuters. 7 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Gabon". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Gabon)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ^ "GINI index (World Bank estimate)". data.worldbank.org. World Bank. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Gabun und Niger: "Wichtig, die Länder individuell zu betrachten"". tagesschau.de (in German). Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 8 September 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Gabon - OPEC Fund for International Development". Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.