
The Gabonese Republic, or Gabon, is a nation of west central Africa. It borders on Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from France on August 17, 1960, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. A small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous countries in the region. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+République Gabonaise |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | | align="center" width="140px" | |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Gabon) | align="center" width="140px" | (Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | ''National motto: None'' |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background: #fff" | |- | Official language | French language |- | Capital | Libreville |- | '''Capital's coordinates | |- | President of Gabon | Omar Bongo |- | Prime Minister of Gabon | Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane |- | Area
- Total
- % water | List of countries by area
1 E11 m2
xx% / Negligible |- | Population
- Total (July 2004 est.)
- Population density | List of countries by population
1,355,246
4.6/km² |- | Independence
- Declared
- Recognised | (From France)
August 17 1960
(Year) |- | Currency | CFA franc |- | Time zone | Coordinated Universal Time +1 (Daylight Saving Time) |- | National anthem | La Concorde |- | Top-level domain | .ga |- | List of country calling codes''' | 241 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Gabon'' Several Bantu groups occupied the area that is now Gabon when France occupied it in 1885. In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. These territories became independent on August 17, 1960. The first president of Gabon, elected in 1961, was Léon M’ba, with El Hadj Omar Bongo as his vice president. When M'Ba died in 1967, Bongo replaced him as president, and has been the head of state ever since and also won re-election. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Gabon'' In March 1991 a new constitution was adopted. Among its provisions are a Western-style bill of rights, the creation of the National Council of Democracy that also oversees the guarantee of those rights and a governmental advisory board which deals with economic and social issues. Multi-party legislative elections were held in 1990-91 even though opposition parties had not been declared formally legal. President El Hadj Omar Bongo was re-elected in December 1998, obtaining 66% of the votes cast. Although the main opposition parties claimed that the elections had been manipulated, there was none of the civil disturbance that followed the 1993 election. The president retains strong powers, such as authority to dissolve the National Assembly, declare a state of siege, delay legislation, conduct referenda, and appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members. ''See: List of Presidents of Gabon'' == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Gabon'' Gabon is located on the Atlantic Ocean coast of central Africa. Clockwise from the northwest, it is bounded by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. Gabon's largest river is the Ogooué. Gabon is also noted for efforts to preserve the natural environment with what may be the largest area of nature parks in the world. ''See: List of places in Gabon, Provinces of Gabon'' == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Gabon'' Gabon is more prosperous than most nearby countries, with a per capita income of four times the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This is in large part due to offshore oil production that has produced substantial wealth, although the distribution of income from this industry is extremely unequal. About sixty percent of the workforce is engaged in agriculture. During the 1990s, devaluation of the CFA franc left Gabon struggling to pay its overseas Third World debt; France and the IMF have provided further loans and aid in exchange for the implementation of changes to the economy. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Gabon'' == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Gabon'' * Ethnic groups of Gabon * List of African writers (by country)#Gabon * Music of Gabon * Bwiti ==Miscellaneous topics== * Communications in Gabon * Transportation in Gabon * Military of Gabon * Foreign relations of Gabon * Postage stamps and postal history of Gabon * List of Gabon-related topics ==References== * David E. Gardinier, ''Historical Dictionary of Gabon'', 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, 1994) - a comprehensive work, with a bibliography of 1,453 items * James F. Barnes, ''Gabon: Beyond the Colonial Legacy'' (Boulder: Westview, 1992) ==External links== ===Government=== *[http://www.assemblee.ga/ Assemblée Nationale du Gabon] official site *[http://www.senat.ga/ Le Sénat de la République Gabonaise] official site (in French) *[http://gabon.embassyhomepage.com/ Gabonese Embassy in London] government information and links ===News=== * [http://allafrica.com/gabon/ AllAfrica.com - ''Gabon''] news headline links ===Overviews=== *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1023203.stm BBC News Country Profile - ''Gabon''] * [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gb.html CIA World Factbook - ''Gabon''] ===Directories=== * [http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us317916/us559898/us559899/us10065674/us559922/ LookSmart - ''Gabon''] directory category * [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Gabon/ Open Directory Project - ''Gabon''] directory category *[http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/gabon.html Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: ''Gabon''] directory category *[http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Gabon.html University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: ''Gabon''] directory category * [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Gabon/ Yahoo! - ''Gabon''] directory category ===Tourism=== * Gabon African Union member states Peace and Security Council bn:গ্যাবন lv:Gabona ms:Gabon nds:Gabun tpi:Gabon yi:גאַבאָן
African countries Western Africa Central Africa Former French colonies
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 17 selected anniversaries'' -----
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Gabon:
Gabon
Gabon
Gabon
Gabon/Communications
Gabon/Economy
Gabon/Geography
Gabon/Government
Gabon/History
Gabon/Military
Gabon/People
Gabon/Transnational_issues
Gabon/Transportation
Gabonais_music
Gabonese
Gabonese_culture
Gabonese_Democratic_Party
Gabonese_Democratic_Party_(1945)
Gabonese_music
Gabonese_music
Gabonese_people
Gabonese_politicians
Gabonese_Republic
Gabonese_sport
Gabonese_writers
Gabon_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
Gabon_Express
Gabon_infobox
Gabon_national_football_team
Gabon
The Gabonese Republic, or Gabon, is a nation of west central Africa. It borders on Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Ruled by autocratic presidents since independence from France on August 17, 1960, Gabon introduced a multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and for reforms of governmental institutions. A small population, abundant natural resources, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous countries in the region. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+République Gabonaise |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | | align="center" width="140px" | |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Gabon) | align="center" width="140px" | (Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | ''National motto: None'' |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background: #fff" | |- | Official language | French language |- | Capital | Libreville |- | '''Capital's coordinates | |- | President of Gabon | Omar Bongo |- | Prime Minister of Gabon | Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane |- | Area
- Total
- % water | List of countries by area
1 E11 m2
xx% / Negligible |- | Population
- Total (July 2004 est.)
- Population density | List of countries by population
1,355,246
4.6/km² |- | Independence
- Declared
- Recognised | (From France)
August 17 1960
(Year) |- | Currency | CFA franc |- | Time zone | Coordinated Universal Time +1 (Daylight Saving Time) |- | National anthem | La Concorde |- | Top-level domain | .ga |- | List of country calling codes''' | 241 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Gabon'' Several Bantu groups occupied the area that is now Gabon when France occupied it in 1885. In 1910, Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa, a federation that survived until 1959. These territories became independent on August 17, 1960. The first president of Gabon, elected in 1961, was Léon M’ba, with El Hadj Omar Bongo as his vice president. When M'Ba died in 1967, Bongo replaced him as president, and has been the head of state ever since and also won re-election. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Gabon'' In March 1991 a new constitution was adopted. Among its provisions are a Western-style bill of rights, the creation of the National Council of Democracy that also oversees the guarantee of those rights and a governmental advisory board which deals with economic and social issues. Multi-party legislative elections were held in 1990-91 even though opposition parties had not been declared formally legal. President El Hadj Omar Bongo was re-elected in December 1998, obtaining 66% of the votes cast. Although the main opposition parties claimed that the elections had been manipulated, there was none of the civil disturbance that followed the 1993 election. The president retains strong powers, such as authority to dissolve the National Assembly, declare a state of siege, delay legislation, conduct referenda, and appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members. ''See: List of Presidents of Gabon'' == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Gabon'' Gabon is located on the Atlantic Ocean coast of central Africa. Clockwise from the northwest, it is bounded by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo. Gabon's largest river is the Ogooué. Gabon is also noted for efforts to preserve the natural environment with what may be the largest area of nature parks in the world. ''See: List of places in Gabon, Provinces of Gabon'' == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Gabon'' Gabon is more prosperous than most nearby countries, with a per capita income of four times the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This is in large part due to offshore oil production that has produced substantial wealth, although the distribution of income from this industry is extremely unequal. About sixty percent of the workforce is engaged in agriculture. During the 1990s, devaluation of the CFA franc left Gabon struggling to pay its overseas Third World debt; France and the IMF have provided further loans and aid in exchange for the implementation of changes to the economy. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Gabon'' == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Gabon'' * Ethnic groups of Gabon * List of African writers (by country)#Gabon * Music of Gabon * Bwiti ==Miscellaneous topics== * Communications in Gabon * Transportation in Gabon * Military of Gabon * Foreign relations of Gabon * Postage stamps and postal history of Gabon * List of Gabon-related topics ==References== * David E. Gardinier, ''Historical Dictionary of Gabon'', 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, 1994) - a comprehensive work, with a bibliography of 1,453 items * James F. Barnes, ''Gabon: Beyond the Colonial Legacy'' (Boulder: Westview, 1992) ==External links== ===Government=== *[http://www.assemblee.ga/ Assemblée Nationale du Gabon] official site *[http://www.senat.ga/ Le Sénat de la République Gabonaise] official site (in French) *[http://gabon.embassyhomepage.com/ Gabonese Embassy in London] government information and links ===News=== * [http://allafrica.com/gabon/ AllAfrica.com - ''Gabon''] news headline links ===Overviews=== *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1023203.stm BBC News Country Profile - ''Gabon''] * [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gb.html CIA World Factbook - ''Gabon''] ===Directories=== * [http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317836/us317916/us559898/us559899/us10065674/us559922/ LookSmart - ''Gabon''] directory category * [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Gabon/ Open Directory Project - ''Gabon''] directory category *[http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/gabon.html Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: ''Gabon''] directory category *[http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/Gabon.html University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: ''Gabon''] directory category * [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Gabon/ Yahoo! - ''Gabon''] directory category ===Tourism=== * Gabon African Union member states Peace and Security Council bn:গ্যাবন lv:Gabona ms:Gabon nds:Gabun tpi:Gabon yi:גאַבאָן
Gabon
African countries Western Africa Central Africa Former French colonies
Gabon
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 17 selected anniversaries'' -----
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
G
GA | GB | GC | GD | GE | GF | GH | GI | GJ | GK | GL | GM | GN | GO | GP | GR | GS | GT | GU | GW | GX | GY | GZ |Words begining with Gabon:
Gabon
Gabon
Gabon
Gabon/Communications
Gabon/Economy
Gabon/Geography
Gabon/Government
Gabon/History
Gabon/Military
Gabon/People
Gabon/Transnational_issues
Gabon/Transportation
Gabonais_music
Gabonese
Gabonese_culture
Gabonese_Democratic_Party
Gabonese_Democratic_Party_(1945)
Gabonese_music
Gabonese_music
Gabonese_people
Gabonese_politicians
Gabonese_Republic
Gabonese_sport
Gabonese_writers
Gabon_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics
Gabon_Express
Gabon_infobox
Gabon_national_football_team
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