Gabon
Encyclopedia : G : GA : GAB : Gabon
- For other uses, see Gabon (disambiguation)}}}.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples. They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations. 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 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 winning each contested election with a substantial majority.
Politics
- More information on politics and government of Gabon can be found at the Politics and government of Gabon series.
President Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon (left) in Washington, USA
President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, in power since 1967 and the longest-serving African head of state, was re-elected to another 7-year term according to poll results returned from elections held on November 27 2005. According to figures provided by Gabon's Interior Ministry, this was achieved with 79.1% of the votes cast. 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 referenda, and appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members.
In provisional results his ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) won 84 out of 120 parliamentary seats. As with previous Gabonese elections in which the opposition parties have contested, there were several accusations of electoral fraud, bribery, and calls for a boycott. 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
Administrative divisions
- Main articles: Provinces of Gabon and Departments of Gabon
The provinces include: Estuaire, Haut-Ogooué, Moyen-Ogooué, Ngounié, Nyanga, Ogooué-Ivindo, Ogooué-Lolo, Ogooué-Maritime, and Woleu-Ntem.
- Further information: Departments of Gabon
Geography
Administratively, Gabon is divided into 9 provinces and further divided into 37 departments (départements).
- Further information: List of places in Gabon
Economy
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.
Demographics
Almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin. Gabon has at least 40 ethnic groups with separate languages and cultures. The largest is the Fang. Others include the Myene, Bandjabi, Eshira, Bapounou, and Okande. Ethnic group boundaries are less sharply drawn in Gabon than elsewhere in Africa. French, the official language, is a unifying force. More than 10,000 French people live in Gabon, and France predominates foreign cultural and commercial influences. Historical and environmental factors caused Gabon's population to decline between 1900 and 1940. It is one of the least-densely inhabited countries in Africa, and a labor shortage is a major obstacle to development and a draw for foreign workers. The population is generally accepted to be just over 1 million but remains in dispute.
Culture
- Bwiti
- Ethnic groups of Gabon
- List of writers from Gabon
- Music of Gabon
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Gabon
- Foreign relations of Gabon
- List of Gabon-related topics
- List of Gabonese companies
- Military of Gabon
- Postage stamps and postal history of Gabon
- Transportation in Gabon
- Fédération Gabonaise du Scoutisme
References
- David E. Gardinier and Douglas A. Yates, [Historical Dictionary of Gabon, 3rd Ed.] (The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006)
- David E. Gardinier, Historical Dictionary of Gabon, 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 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
- [Le Gabon : official site of the Gabonese Republic]
- [Assemblée Nationale du Gabon] official site
- [Gabonese Embassy in London] government information and links
- [Le Sénat de la République Gabonaise] official site (in French)
News
- [AllAfrica.com - Gabon] news headline links
Overviews
Ethnic groups
- [Baka Pygmies of Cameroon and Gabon] Culture and music of the first inhabitants of Gabon
Directories
- [Open Directory Project - Gabon] directory category
- [Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Gabon] directory category
- [University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center: Gabon] directory category
- [Yahoo! - Gabon] directory category
Tourism
- from Wikitravel
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