Gabon, the full official form is the Gabonese Republic (fr.
République gabonaise) is a state in Central Africa, a former colony
of France. The population, according to the 2013 census, was
1,811,079 people, the territory - 267,667 km². It ranks 145th in the
world in terms of population and 76th in terms of territory.
The capital is Libreville, the official language is French.
Unitary state, subdivided into nine provinces. Presidential Republic
- On August 30, 2009, Ali Bongo Ondimba was elected president.
Located in the west of Central Africa, from the west it is
washed by the Gulf of Guinea. It has land borders with the Republic
of the Congo, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Most believers
profess Christianity of various persuasions (mainly Catholicism).
Oil fields and foreign investment have helped make Gabon one of
Africa's richest and most stable states with the 4th highest HDI,
the second highest GDP per capita (nominal) in the region (after
Equatorial Guinea), and the third highest GDP per capita ( PPP) in
the region (after Equatorial Guinea and Botswana). However, due to
inequality in the distribution of income, a significant part of the
population remains poor. According to a 2019 estimate, the country's
GDP (PPP) amounted to $35.330 billion (123rd in the world). The
monetary unit is the CFA franc.
1 Libreville – capital of Gabon
2 Lambaréné - A town with almost
40,000 inhabitants in the center of the country on the N1 became known
worldwide thanks to the leprosy hospital opened in 1924 by the later
Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, who worked here for around
forty years. The hospital (new building in 1981) on the left bank of the
Ogooué, whose focus has shifted to tropical diseases of all kinds, still
exists today. This includes a small museum and the simple guest house
Hôtellerie de l'Hôpital Albert Schweitzer.
3 Port Gentil – City that
cannot be reached by land.
4 Mouila
5 Oyem
6 Franceville
7
Tchibanga
8 Koulamoutou
9 Makokou
10 Coco Beach
Parcs du Gabon is responsible for the protected areas and visit
permits. This organization is not overly effective. Eleven thousand
elephants were poached in Minkébé National Park alone in 2004-14. In
2016 it was estimated that 70% of the population had been killed. In
order to prevent inspectors from demanding bribes on the way to parks,
it makes sense to have several copies of the permit (also for the
driver!) and the passport ready.
Excursions and dugout tours to Lake
Azingo with its hippos or Lake Zilé for bird watching can be booked
through hotels in Lambaréné. There are river ferries every morning from
Port-Gentil. SOGATRA buses from Libreville (PK8) take around four hours
(4000 CFA). Bush taxis cost twice as much as a bus on the route, but
they are no faster. SOGATRA tickets are available at the office. from
the town hall at the Total gas station. Gare La Paillote is just
outside, towards the landing site. On weekends there is a special
“Weekend Shopping Bus” which is air conditioned for 5500 CFA, Libreville
PK8 from 7.30am, return from Lambarene 2.30pm-
The 4,910 km² Lopé
National Park consists partly of rainforest and partly of savanna. A
World Heritage Site since 2007, you can find forest elephants (Loxodonta
cyclotis) and lowland gorillas here, among others. The luxurious Lopé
Hotel organizes tours in the park. A much cheaper alternative is the
Motel E. Mbeki.
Entry requirements
For citizens of the EU and the G20, visa-free
entry is possible for up to 30 days. If you want to stay for up to 90
days, you can apply for a visa-on-arrival. Passes must be valid for 3
months after the end of the trip.
Consular Department of the
Embassy of Gabon, Hohensteiner Str. 16, D-14197 Berlin. Tel.: +49 30
8973 34-40, Fax: +49 30 8973 34. 2 passport photos and forms, hotel
booking or invitation letters for business travelers. Also responsible
for Austria. Price: Cash in the letter, no checks: €80, express €120,
plus stamped return envelope.
Section consulaire de l'Ambassade,
Avenue Raphaël 26 bis, F-75016 Paris. Tel.: +331 42 99 68 68. Also
responsible for Switzerland.
visa
Swiss and Liechtenstein
residents require a visa.
Nowadays, an electronic visa
(“Electronic Travel Authorization”) should be applied for online before
entering the country. This now also applies to all land border
crossings, despite having a visa, difficulties arise when entering the
country overland. The processing time is 72 hours; 1-3 months, single
entry costs 45,000 CFA or €70. 6 months, multiple entry 120,000 CFA or
€185. There is also a €15 processing fee each time. Passes must be valid
for another 6 months. Visas that entitle you to stays shorter than three
months can be extended up to a maximum of 3 months at the DGDI in
Libreville. See also: List of Gabon diplomatic missions abroad
Customs
Hunting weapons and ammunition require permission.
Pornography is prohibited.
Free allowances from 17 years:
200
cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 cigarillos, 250 g of tobacco (production from
Cameroon if coming from Cameroon unlimited). Women are only allowed to
import cigarettes.
2 liters of alcohol or 3 liters of wine and one
liter of schnapps
50g perfume
2 cameras
Gifts up to 5000 CFA
Airplane
Arrival is generally via the Aéroport international Léon
Mba international airport in the capital Libreville. From here there are
a number of connections within Africa, but also to Europe, especially
with Air France/KLM via Paris (CDG). Royal Air Maroc has connecting
connections via Casablanca, Ethiopian takes longer via Addis Ababa.
Details in the Libreville article.
Bus
Passengers on
Cameroonian buses/taxi have to cross the border on foot.
Car/motorcycle/bicycle
There is right-hand traffic. In addition to
the vehicle license and driving license for your car, self-drivers need
a Carnet de Passages. Entry is also possible without it, then a
Passavant valid for 30 days must be purchased at the border for a fee
(2017: 10,000 CFA). Petrol costs 580 CFA, diesel 510 CFA/l (March 2017).
In Libreville there are no parking zones where towing is also possible.
Around Libreville the main roads are paved, although not to European
standards. The road network is thin and in poor condition, and many
villages are practically inaccessible. Four-wheel drive is essential
during the rainy seasons (October to December and mid-February to May).
Larger intersections are controlled by traffic lights. Without
switching these off, these are often regulated by heavily armed
executive bodies, especially in the area of the presidential palace.
As a non-local you will be stopped and checked at least once a day.
Items and IDs to be carried in the vehicle are:
International driving
licence
Passport with valid visa
Vaccination certificate with
confirmation of yellow fever vaccination
Fire extinguisher
valid
sticker on the fire extinguisher
Card for the validity of the sticker
on the fire extinguisher
Traffic fines do not have a fixed rate.
The officer is happy to get in the car, drive you into a quiet side
street and you get away with around €15 (without a receipt). If the
executive does not have a vehicle available, he or she will get into a
taxi and you will be stopped by it.
From Cameroon
In Anbam
(Ambam) turn off the N2 to Abang-Minko. The police post (7 a.m. to 6
p.m.) is about three kilometers from the border, and customs is a
hundred meters further. At the bridge the gendarmerie checks the papers
before leaving the country. Cameroonian buses/taxi carrying passengers
are not allowed to cross the border. The taxis in Amban do not go from
the bus station to the border but from a stand 2 km away.
Continue to the border village of Éboro. The border guard there checks
vehicle documents and refers you to the guard on the main street of
Bitam for a visa on arrival. A copy of the visa is sometimes required
here. Car owners must show insurance at the customs office, the Aria
agency in the Conseil Departmental du Ntem building has negotiable
prices.
Accommodation options here include the Horizon
Hotel-Restaurant and the luxurious Bénédicta (with pool). Bitam Express
buses go to Libreville.
The border crossing near Kye-Ossi can
also be used and the required hotel booking is checked. Coming from
Anban (police station) it is 38 km on the well-developed Cameroonian N2,
which comes from Douala. Passengers on Cameroonian buses/taxi have to
cross the border on foot.
In Ebebiyín we go to Equatorial Guinea.
From Congo-Brazzaville
From Okoyo, where there is no hotel, we
head southwest. Until a few years ago, people drove to the border on a
rutted sand road that was difficult to pass during the rainy season. The
90 km were paved in 2017. A first checkpoint is in Leketi. The actual
border and customs control takes place 37 km further.
A Gabonese
border post is right on the border. “Entry fee” (bribe) is demanded from
self-drivers, the sum is not acknowledged and then due again at the
actual gendarmerie and customs post in Lekoni. Roads are paved on the
Gabonese side.
Another crossing between Mbinda (Congo) and Lekoko. On
the Gabonese side, clearance takes place in Bakoumba, thirty kilometers
further on the R24. If you arrive too late for check-in, the Hotel
Impala is here. If necessary, you might want to take a detour to the
Parc de la Lekedi wildlife park.
Coming from Kibangou on the
Congolese N3 it is 160 km to the border river. The exit formalities are
completed in Doussala. In spring 2018, the road condition of the almost
40 km on the N1 between the border and the Gabonese Ndende (here
Gabonese customs and police posts) was unanimously described as
miserable. It is hardly passable during the rainy season.
Ship
On the Ogooué, 310 km are really navigable, ferries run between
Port-Gentil to Lambaréné and Ndjole, which take 10-24 hours depending on
the direction. It is possible to reach the Congo with small ships.
From Libreville-Porte Môle you can get to Port-Gentil by ferry in just
over eleven hours.
Dugout canoes operate between Cogo (Equatorial
Guinea) and Cocobeach. This is a legitimate border crossing option
(provided you manage to obtain a visa for Equat. Guinea).
The
ferry to/from São Tomé was discontinued in 2015, but ships continue to
operate irregularly, including taking passengers. Times and conditions
should be requested on site.
Within Libreville and Port-Gentil, the taxi is the means to an end.
Overland you can travel by bus or bush taxi (taxi brousse). A cadeau or
fee is routinely demanded at checkpoints for any imagined
irregularities. Sometimes refusal or demand for a receipt can drive down
the price.
National roads
Less than 15% of country roads are
paved.
N1: Libreville – Kougouleu – Bifoun – Lambaréné – Mouila
(piste from here) – Ndendé – (Congo-Brazzaville border)
N2: Bifoun –
Alembe – Viate – Mitzic – Bibasse – Oyem – Bitam (to Cameroon, see
above)
N3: Alembe – Kazamabika – Lastoursville – Moanda – Franceville
N4: Viate – Ekonlong – Makokou – Mékambo (border clearance here for the
crossing at Ekata)
N5: Kougouleu – Bibasse
N6: Mayumba - Tchibanga
- Ndendé - Lebamba - Koulamoutou - Lastoursville
N7: Makokou -
Bakwaka - Okondja - Lékori - Akiéni - Ngouoni - Franceville
The
traffic hub in the south is the city of Ndende. The N5/N1, which begins
from the northern border in Bitam, ends here. To the coast take the N6
to 24 Mayumba (183 km). For the border to Congo-Brazzaville see above.
Railroad
The only railway line, the Transgabonais, connects
Libreville-Owendo with Franceville over 639 km. There are another 21
train stations along the route. Train Omnibus l’Équateur trains stop
everywhere, the Express Trans-Ogooué only stops in Ndjolé, Lopé, Booué,
Ivindo, Lastourville, Moanda and Franceville. Departures are once a day
(not Saturday), the express runs alternately, then the bus. Its wagons
were bought used in Korea in 2011. The Express, with a restaurant, is
about a third more expensive. Large-capacity wagons made in Germany have
been used for this since 2017.
One advantage of using the train
is that you are safe from police officers at checkpoints demanding
bribes.
Being able to speak French is mandatory! Neither German nor English is guaranteed to make progress.
Due to the politically desired overvaluation of the West African
Franc (CFA), quality or performance are rarely in proportion to the
quality offered.
A pack of cigarettes costs 1000-1200 CFA (2018).
Almost two thirds of the food is imported and the prices are
correspondingly high. Alcohol is not taxed and is therefore cheaper than
anywhere else in Africa. The presence of the tsetse fly hinders local
livestock farming.
As a former French colony, Gabon has
excellent, always fresh pastries! There are countless stalls on the
roadsides offering fresh, cooked, grilled or fried food.
Particularly noteworthy at this point is the delicious Coupe Coupé. Beef
cooked in a stone oven at a low temperature, thinly sliced, in a fresh
baguette. As with almost all street vendors, the seasoning consists of
mayonnaise and Maggi soup seasoning, which takes some getting used to.
Optional: chopped chilies.
There are also countless backyard
cuisines that you only hear about from locals. The food there often
consists of:
cooked fish
fried fish
Sauced meat (looks like
goulash, tastes like spaghetti sauce)
manioc
sweet potatoes
Evening restaurants offer everything from pizza to exotic dishes
such as Gazelle. A proper meal for two costs 40,000 CFA in 2018.
The Castel subsidiary, Sobraga, brews beer and lemonades. The most
common local brand is Régab. Beer bottles contain 650 ml.
Anyone traveling to Gabon has to forego the usual standards! Problems
with the infrastructure are commonplace. Electricity and water supply
are not always guaranteed.
In Libreville there are few
accommodations from international hotel chains. There are many
guesthouses, you should rely on recommendations and experiences from
others.
(Violent) property crimes occur in the two large cities. You should not walk alone after dark. Police checks on country roads are frequent.
Malaria prophylaxis is necessary everywhere all year round. Schistosomiasis occurs in freshwater lakes. The bites of the small insects called fourous are extremely itchy, but only after a few days.
Taking photos of military installations or important infrastructure is prohibited. Koran believers in particular do not like to be photographed.
Postal delivery does not take place.
Mobile communications and
internet
The semi-state Gabon Telecom is a landline provider and with
its mobile network (with Airtel) also has a market share of sixty
percent and very good coverage in rural areas. Billing is based on the
exact second and depending on the recipient network. There are 2018
prepaid 4G data packages that are billed based on volume (1 Mb = 100
CFA). International SMS 75 CFA. Foreigners must provide a copy of their
passport and visa when purchasing a SIM card.
All telephone
numbers have eight digits, there are no area codes. Landline numbers
begin with 01. (When calling from abroad, you must not leave out the
leading zero.)
By 2017, Axione had expanded the broadband network
to such an extent that 70% of the population had access to the Internet.
There was no censorship or monitoring of network access (yet) in 2012.
The name of the country "Gabon" comes from the Portuguese name of the river Mbe: "Gabão" (meaning "hooded coat"), this name comes from the specific shape of the mouth of the river.
The name Gabon comes from the Portuguese word “Gabão” and means
“cloak”. When Portuguese sailors reached the country's coast in the 15th
century, they named the mouth of the Komo River Gabão because of its
peculiar shape.
After settling the area, the French settlers
gained initial sovereignty over the area in 1839. In 1888 Gabon became
part of French Congo and in 1910 it was separated again as an
independent part of French Equatorial Africa. On November 8th to 12th,
1940, referred to as the campagne du Gabon or bataille de Libreville,
Gabon's port was captured by the French Forces (FFL) under De Gaulle and
British units. The port, which had previously been held by troops loyal
to Vichy and was now strategically important, fell to the Allies.
The loi-cadre Defferre was introduced under French administration in
1956 and with it general active and passive women's suffrage.
When French Equatorial Africa was dissolved in 1958, Gabon gained
autonomy as the Gabonese Republic.
On August 17, 1960, Gabon gained independence from France under
President Léon M'ba, who was succeeded by Omar Bongo after his death in
1967. Research in the French state archives revealed that France played
a key role in the election of both presidents in order to continue to
secure its influence over the country (also known as Françafrique). It
led to a systemic interconnection between the two countries.
Women's suffrage was confirmed at independence. The Parti Démocratique
Gabonais (PDG) was founded on March 12, 1968. With this unity party,
Omar Bongo ruled the country dictatorially for a long time. Gabon
introduced a multi-party system in the 1990s and adopted a new
constitution that allowed for reform of government organizations and
more transparent elections. Gabon, with its small population, enormous
raw material reserves and outside help, developed over time into a
flourishing African state. However, only a few benefited from the
country's wealth and many remained very poor. The wealth of the Bongos
ruling family culminated in the ownership of 21 luxury properties in
Paris alone, all at the best addresses, not far from the Eiffel Tower.
President Omar Bongo was the longest-ruling head of state in Africa;
he died of cardiac arrest in Barcelona on June 8, 2009.
Senate President Rose Francine Rogombé was elected interim president
with the task of organizing new elections within 45 days.
On
August 30, 2009, Defense Minister Ali-Ben Bongo Ondimba won the
elections and succeeded his father as president. With 140,000 votes, he
achieved 41.73% of the votes cast from 800,000 eligible voters. Former
Interior Minister André Mba Obamé and another opposition candidate each
received around 87,000 votes. On election day, local riots broke out in
the port city of Port-Gentil, a stronghold of the opposition, by
supporters of the losing candidate, involving around 600 people, mostly
young men. A police post and a prison were stormed and 300 prisoners
were freed. The opportunity was used to loot numerous shops, mainly
those owned by Lebanese immigrants. The recount of votes requested by
the losing candidates did not change the election results. Since both
European and African Union election observers confirmed the legality and
correctness of these elections, Ali Bongo was inaugurated on October 17,
2009.
In the 2016 presidential election, Bongo was narrowly
confirmed in office with 49.8 percent compared to 48.23 percent for Jean
Ping. When the votes were counted, Ping was ahead in almost all
provinces. After the counting was delayed, Bongo finally won a reported
95.46% of the vote in his home province of Haut-Ogooué with a turnout of
99.93%, ultimately winning the election with just 5,500 votes.
From October 2018 to February 2019, Bongo was abroad due to illness.
After an attempted coup “to restore democracy” by officers of the Gabon
Armed Forces on January 7, 2019, Bongo returned and appointed a new
cabinet.
On August 30, 2023, it was announced that a military
coup had occurred shortly after the controversial parliamentary and
presidential elections on August 27. A group of senior officers declared
the “end of the current regime.” The group, made up of representatives
of the gendarmerie, the Republican Guard and other branches of the state
organs, said they had seized power and deposed Ali Bongo.
Gabon is located in the west of
Central Africa. In the east and south it borders on the Republic of the
Congo (the length of the border is 1903 km), in the north - on Cameroon
(298 km), in the northwest - on Equatorial Guinea (350 km), in the west
the country goes to the waters of the Gulf of Guinea ocean.
The
total length of the border is 2551 km, the length of the coastline is
885 km. The coastline of the country is divided into two parts by Cape
Lopez. To the south of it, the shores are straight, flat, with shallow
lagoons. To the north of the cape, the coastline has a more complex
shape, convenient bays are located here - the estuaries of the country's
rivers.
The total area of Gabon is 267,667 km². Of it, 10,000 km²
(3.7% of the total area) falls on the water surface, and 257,667 km² on
land. Most (77%) of the land fund is occupied by forests, pastures
account for 18% of the land, and 2% is allocated for arable land.
Gabon is located in the equatorial and subequatorial belts. Due to the hot and humid climate, about 80% of the country's territory is occupied by dense evergreen forests. The area rises from the west, where there is a swampy coastal lowland 30-200 km wide, to the east, where plateaus and mountain ranges are located.
The interior of Gabon
is occupied by massifs and plateaus of the South Guinea Upland. The
highest heights are reached by the Shayu Mountains (Mount Ibunji, 1580
m), located in the central part of Gabon and composed of deeply
metamorphosed rocks and granites of the Early Precambrian . There are
deposits of manganese and gold. To the north-west of them rise the
Crystal Mountains (Mount Dana, 1000 m), composed of Precambrian
crystalline rocks.
From the southwest, several chains of low
mountains and hills adjoin the Shayu mountains - the northern end of the
folded system of the late Proterozoic Western Congolids. And from the
east - the gentle Francville trough, filled with the Middle Proterozoic
sedimentary terrigenous series of the same name, containing deposits of
manganese ores. One of the world's largest manganese deposits is located
in the Franceville region, the total reserves of which are estimated at
225 million tons. There are also deposits of uranium ore (proved
reserves - 5830 tons). Iron ore deposits (1400 million tons) are located
in the northeast of the country (Belinga), occupied by table plateaus
(height 500–600 m), and in the southwest (Chibanga).
In the west
of the country, along the Atlantic coast, a low plain stretches up to
200 km wide. It is an area of intense subsidence that began in the
Cretaceous, which led to the accumulation of many kilometers of
sediments, first lagoonal-continental, then salt-bearing and marine. The
presence of salt at the bottom of the section caused the manifestation
of salt tectonics. The main oil fields are located in this area (in
particular, Angiy (deposit)), the total proven reserves are 275 million
tons, and natural gas (28 billion m³).
The climate is
hot and humid, with a transition from equatorial in the north to
subequatorial in the west and south, with a short dry season (from
June-July to August-September).
Average monthly temperatures from
+22 °C to +24 °C in July and from +25 °C to +27 °C in April, in the
southeast in the hot months exceed +32 °C. The average annual
precipitation is 1500-2000 mm per year, in the north of the coastline up
to 2500-4000 mm.
The river network of Gabon is very dense and full of water. The main river is the Ogove, a significant part of the country's territory belongs to its basin. The largest tributaries are Ivindo and Ngunye. Less significant coastal rivers - Nyanga and Como. The rivers of the country are full-flowing throughout the year, in the upper reaches they are rapids, in the lower reaches they are mostly accessible for navigation. The potential for hydropower production is estimated at 48 billion kWh per year.
About 80% of the territory of Gabon is covered with dense moist evergreen and deciduous-evergreen tropical forests on red-yellow lateritic soils. There are many species in the forests that provide valuable commercial timber - okume, osigo, limba, mahogany and yellow wood, ebony, sandalwood, etc. In the south and southeast, the forests are partially reduced and replaced by secondary tall-grass savannahs. Mangrove forests grow along the coast.
In its species composition, it is characteristic of the West African subregion of the Ethiopian zoogeographic region. Of the large animals, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, various types of forest antelopes are found; predators include leopards, hyenas, and others. Monkeys are widespread, including anthropoids—the gorilla (the largest population in the world) and chimpanzees. Hippos, crocodiles live in the rivers; Manatees are found in Gabon Bay, coastal lagoons and the Ogowe River. Birds and snakes are abundantly represented, among which there are many poisonous ones (for example, the Gaboon viper). Insects are widespread, including carriers of dangerous diseases - tsetse flies, Simulium midges.