Middle Africa · AfricaGabon
Discover Gabon - 88% covered in rainforest, home to surfing hippos, forest elephants, and Albert Schweitzer's jungle hospital, straddling the Equator in Central Africa.
Where Is Gabon?
Gabon is a country in Middle Africa. Its capital is Libreville.
- Capital Libreville
- Population 2.59M
- Area 267,668 km²
Gabon is 88% rainforest, and it wants to stay that way. In a region where deforestation is a chronic crisis, this Central African nation straddling the Equator has staked its future on conservation. Thirteen national parks cover 11% of the country, and the 2002 decision to create them in one stroke - turning logging concessions into protected wilderness overnight - was one of the boldest conservation moves any country has ever made. The payoff is extraordinary: forest elephants amble onto empty Atlantic beaches at Loango National Park, western lowland gorillas forage in clearings called bais, and humpback whales breed offshore.
The human side of Gabon is equally distinctive. Libreville, the capital, was founded by freed slaves in 1849 (the name literally means "Freetown"), and today it's one of the wealthier cities in sub-Saharan Africa thanks to oil revenues. The Bongo family ran the country for 56 years until a military coup in 2023 ended the dynasty. Albert Schweitzer built his famous jungle hospital at Lambarene in 1913, and it still operates. The Fang, Myene, and dozens of other ethnic groups practice Bwiti, a spiritual tradition involving the iboga plant that produces powerful visions and has attracted Western attention as a treatment for addiction. With just 2.3 million people in a country the size of Colorado, Gabon has more forest per person than almost anywhere on Earth.
At a glance
Largest cities in Gabon
Libreville
Port-Gentil
Franceville
Lambarene
Famous people from Gabon
Albert Schweitzer
MedicineNobel Peace Prize winner who built a jungle hospital in Lambarene in 1913, treating patients in the Gabonese rainforest for over fifty years
Omar Bongo
PoliticsPresident of Gabon for 42 years (1967-2009), one of the longest-ruling heads of state in world history and a dominant figure in Francophone African politics
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
SportArsenal and Barcelona striker, Bundesliga top scorer, and Gabon's most famous athlete who brought global attention to his small country
Patience Dabany
MusicSinger, songwriter, and mother of the former president, known as the Queen of Gabonese music with a career spanning over four decades
Traditional cuisine of Gabon
- Nyembwe Chicken
- Gabon's national dish - chicken braised in a rich, oily sauce made from palm nut pulp, with a complex earthy and nutty flavor
- Brochettes de Viande
- Grilled meat skewers sold at roadside stands across the country, often served with spicy pili-pili sauce and fried plantains
- Odika
- Sauce made from wild mango seeds (known as dika nuts), a distinctly Gabonese ingredient used in stews with a chocolate-like richness
- Beignets de Banane
- Fried banana fritters dusted with sugar, a beloved street snack made from the abundant plantains that grow everywhere
- Poisson Sale
- Salt-cured smoked fish cooked with tomatoes and peppers, a staple protein source in riverside and coastal communities
Nature and landmarks in Gabon
- Loango National ParkNational Park
- Known as Africa's Last Eden, where forest elephants, gorillas, and hippos emerge onto pristine Atlantic beaches - one of the continent's most surreal wildlife spectacles
- Lope National ParkNational Park
- UNESCO World Heritage Site combining dense rainforest with open savanna, home to the largest population of western lowland gorillas and mandrills in the world
- Ivindo National ParkNational Park
- Remote rainforest park with the spectacular Kongou Falls and the recently UNESCO-listed forest clearings where gorillas and elephants gather
- Crystal MountainsMountain
- Ancient mountain range near Libreville, home to one of Africa's most botanically diverse forest ecosystems with numerous endemic plant species
Sports in Gabon
- Football
- The Panthers hosted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2017, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang becoming one of Europe's top strikers
- Basketball
- Growing basketball culture with the national team competing in AfroBasket qualifiers and increasing youth participation
- Martial Arts
- Gabon has produced competitive judokas and taekwondo practitioners at the African Games and Olympic qualification level
Did you know?
Gabon is 88% covered in rainforest and created 13 national parks in a single stroke in 2002, one of the boldest conservation decisions any country has ever made
At Loango National Park, you can see forest elephants and hippos walking on the beach - one of the only places in the world where this happens
Albert Schweitzer's hospital in Lambarene has been operating continuously since 1913, making it one of the longest-running medical missions in Africa
Libreville means 'Freetown' in French, named because it was founded in 1849 by freed slaves from a captured Brazilian slave ship
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, born in France to a Gabonese father, chose to represent Gabon internationally and became one of the Premier League's top scorers
The Bwiti spiritual tradition, practiced by several Gabonese ethnic groups, uses the iboga plant to induce visions and has attracted global interest as an addiction treatment
Can you find Gabon on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Gabon and its neighbours without a second thought.
