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Gabon (pronounced /gəˈbɒn/ or /gaˈbõ/ in French) is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. The capital and largest city is Libreville. Since its independence from France on August 17, 1960, the Republic has been ruled by two presidents. In the early 1990s, Gabon introduced a multi party system and a new democratic constitution
that allowed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed many
governmental institutions. A small population (less than two million),
abundant natural resources, and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in the region, with the highest HDI in Sub-Saharan Africa.
History
-
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples. They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes as they migrated.
In the 15th century, the first Europeans arrived. The nation's name
originates from these days as 'Gabão' is Portuguese for cabin, which is
roughly the shape of the estuary of the Komo River by Libreville. French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza led his first mission to the Gabon-Congo area in 1875. He founded the town of Franceville, and was later colonial governor. Several Bantu groups lived in the area that is now Gabon when France officially 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 Omar Bongo Ondimba
as his vice president. When M'Ba died in 1967, Bongo replaced him as
president, and has been the head of state ever since, winning each
contested election with a substantial majority.
Government
President
Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon (left) in Washington, USA.
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In March 1991, a new constitution was enacted. Among its provisions
are a bill of rights, the creation of a body to guarantee those rights (National Council of Democracy)
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 yet been formally declared legal.
President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 [1], was re-elected to his third consecutive seven-year term on November 27, 2005.
According to figures provided by Gabon's Interior Ministry, he received
a 79.1% majority of votes. Voting age in Gabon is 21 years of age[2]. In 2003, the President amended the Constitution of Gabon
to remove any restrictions on the number of terms a president is
allowed to serve. The president retains strong powers, such as
authority to dissolve the National Assembly, declare a state of siege,
delay legislation, conduct referendums, and appoint or dismiss the
prime minister as well as cabinet members. In provisional results, the
ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 84 out of 120 parliamentary seats.
As with previous Gabonese elections, the opposition parties have
contested the results. There were calls for a boycott and accusations
of electoral fraud and bribery. There were also incidences of violence
and protest, particularly in the first round of voting held two weeks
prior. However, several international observers including the Economic
Community of Central African States have reported that the election
"met international standards" for democratic voting.
- Further information: List of Presidents of Gabon
Gabon has a small, professional military of about 5,000 personnel, divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie,
and national police. Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the
country and have not been trained for an offensive role. A 1,800-member
guard provides security for the president.
In September, 2007, René Ndémezo'o Obiang, the government's spokesperson, announced that Gabon's cabinet council had decided to formally abolish the death penalty, which had not been applied in the country in over a decade.
Provinces and departments
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Gabon is divided into 9 provinces and further divided into 37 departments.
The provinces are:
- Estuaire
- Haut-Ogooué
- Moyen-Ogooué
- Ngounié
- Nyanga
- Ogooué-Ivindo
- Ogooué-Lolo
- Ogooué-Maritime
- Woleu-Ntem
Geography
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Gabon is located on the Atlantic coast of central Africa. Located on the equator, Gabon has an equatorial climate
with an extensive system of rainforests covering 85% of the country.
There are three distinct regions: the coastal plains (ranging between
20 to 300 km from the ocean's shore), the mountains (the Cristal Mountains to the northeast of Libreville, the Chaillu Massif in the centre, culminating at 1575 m with Mont Iboundji), and the savanna in the east. Gabon's largest river is the Ogooué which is 1200 km long. Gabon has three karst
areas where there are hundreds of caves located in the dolomite and
limestone rocks. Some of the caves include Grotte du Lastoursville,
Grotte du Lebamba, Grotte du Bongolo, and Grotte du Kessipougou. Many
caves have not been explored yet. A National Geographic Expedition is
heading to the caves in the summer of 2008 to document them (Expedition Website.
Gabon is also noted for efforts to preserve the natural environment. In
2002, President Omar Bongo Ondimba put Gabon firmly on the map as an
important future ecotourism destination by nominating more than 11% of
the nation's territory as National Park (13 in total), which may be the
largest area of nature parks in the world. Natural resources include: petroleum, magnesium, iron, gold, uranium, and forests.
- See also: List of places in Gabon
Economy
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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. Critics note that the income was not invested in
modernizing or diversifying the economy and Gabon remains heavily
reliant on its natural resources. Gabon was a full member of OPEC from 1975 to 1995. It is an exporter of manganese, iron, and wood. Uranium mines near Franceville
were shut down in 2001 with the arrival of new competition on the
global market and is work in progress to re-open them. Plans to exploit
rich iron deposits north-east of Makokou are foreseen to begin in 2012.
During the 1990s, devaluation of the CFA franc left Gabon struggling to pay its overseas debt; France and the IMF
have provided further loans and aid in exchange for the implementation
of changes to the economy. Gabon's principal trading partners are the United States, China, and Russia for exports while importing mainly from France[2].
On December 5, JPMorgan
acted as Joint-Bookrunner on the Gabonese Republic’s (BB-/BB-) debut
international US$1 billion 10-year bond issue. The issue was very well
received despite the challenging market environment.
Demographics
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Demographic evolution of Gabon from 1961 to 2003
The population of Gabon is nearly 1.5 million (1,454,867 [2]). Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin, though Gabon has at least forty ethnic groups with separate languages and cultures. The Fang are generally thought to be the largest, although recent census data seem to favor the Bandjabi (or Nzebi). Others include the Myene, Bakota, Eshira, Bapounou, and Okande. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, may be regarded as a unifying force. It is estimated that 80%[3]
of the country's population are able to speak French, and that
one-third of Libreville residents are native speakers of the language[4]. More than 10,000 French people live in Gabon, and France is the predominant foreign cultural and commercial influence.
Historical and environmental factors caused Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940. It has one of the lowest population densities
of any country in Africa, and labor shortages form a major obstacle to
development and a draw for foreign workers. Most inhabitants are Christians (with estimates of the Christian population ranging from 55 to 77%), mostly members of the Roman Catholic Church.
Other religious groups include animists, Muslims, and practitioners of
indigenous African religions. Gabon's literacy rate is 63.2%[2]
- See also: Ethnic groups of Gabon, Languages of Gabon, and Bwiti
Culture
Music
Gabonese music is little-known in comparison with regional giants like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The country boasts an array of folk styles, as well as pop stars like Patience Dabany and Annie Flore Batchiellilys, a Gabonese singer and renowned live performer.
Dabany's albums, though recorded in Los Angeles, have a
distinctively Gabonese element and are popular throughout Francophone
Africa. Other major musicians include Pierre-Claver Akendengue (considered a master-poet), "the veteran" Mack Joss, Vickos Ekondo, known as "the king of Tandima".
Annie Flore has participated in musical events, both improvised and
planned, with a wide variety of musicians from around the world,
including: Youssou N'dour (Senegal), Ray Léma (DRC), Lokua Kanza (DRC),
La Baronne (France), Carlo Rizzo (Italy), Cynthia Scott (USA), Mario
Chenart (Canada), Solange Campagne (Canada), Philip Peris (Australia)
and Qiu-Xia-He (China).
Also known are guitarists like Georges Oyendze, La Rose Mbadou and Sylvain Avara, and the singer Oliver N'Goma. Imported rock and hip hop from the US and UK are popular in Gabon, as are rumba, makossa and soukous. Gabonese folk instruments include the obala, the ngombi, balafon and traditional drums.
- See also: Music of Gabon
Oral tradition
A country with a primarily oral tradition up until the spread of literacy in the 21st century, Gabon is rich in folklore and mythology. "Raconteurs" are currently working to keep traditions alive such as the mvett among the Fangs and the ingwala among the Nzebis.
- See also: List of African writers (by country)#Gabon
Masks
Gabon also features internationally celebrated masks, such as the n'goltang (Fang) and the relicary figures of the Kota.
Each group has its own set of masks used for various reasons. They are
mostly used in traditional ceremonies such as marriage, birth and
funerals. Traditionalists mainly work with rare local woods and other
precious materials.
Television
Gabon will be the host for the seventeenth season of Survivor.
See also
References
- Maria Petringa, Brazza, A Life for Africa (2006)
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