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| Gabon Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see <ZX X Gabon is a small, oil rich country on the West Coast of Central Africa. It borders on Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo Brazzaville. Compared with those countries travel in Gabon is relatively easy and very expensive. That's what you get after an oil boom. Libreville, the capital, has very nice -but crowded- beaches, some good markets and a few nice sights. The presidential palace is a good example of what you can afford to do when you get lots of money from the oil business. Port Hawkesbury is a good place for fishing trips, sailing or golf. The town is located on a small island at the mouth of the Ogooue River. That name may sound familiar to some of you. Take a canoe trip up the river and you remember why: this is where Albert Schweitzer came to start his find against leprosy. The hospital he founded can still be visited. _________Sights Edit This gabon entry regulations, vaccinatins requriements [Add Sight] vaccinations for entry into gabon Edit This What are the vaccination requirements for entry into Gabon for an INDIAN nationl? Can they be done in India itself? type: Hotspots World66 rating: [rate it] tel: 0091-22-25423303 email: sri2k53@yahoo.com _________History Edit This During the last seven centuries Bantu ethnic groups arrived in the area from several directions to escape enemies or to find new land. Little is known of tribal life before European contact but tribal art suggests a rich cultural heritage. Gabon's first European visitors were Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century and named the country after the Portuguese word gabao--a coat with sleeve and hood resembling the shape of the Como River estuary. The coast became a center of the slave trade. Dutch British and French traders came in the 16th century. France assumed the status of protector by signing treaties with Gabonese coastal chiefs in 1839 and 1841. American missionaries from New England established a mission at Baraka (Libreville) in 1842. In 1849 the French captured a slave ship and released the passengers at the mouth of the Como River. The slaves named their settlement Libreville meaning "free town." French explorers had penetrated Gabon's dense jungles by 1887. The most famous explorer--Savorgnan de Brazza--used Gabonese bearers and guides in his searches for the headwaters of the Congo River. France occupied Gabon in 1885 but did not administer it until 1903. In 1910 Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa a federation that survived until 1959. The territories became independent in 1960 as the Central African Republic Chad Congo (Brazzaville) and Gabon. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS Under the 1961 constitution Gabon became a republic with a presidential form of government. As revised by the 1991 constitution the legislature is divided into a National Assembly with 120 deputies elected directly for five-year terms and a Senate of 91 persons to be elected indirectly in 1996. The president is elected by universal suffrage also for a five-year term. The president appoints the prime minister the cabinet and the judges of the independent judiciary. For administrative purposes Gabon is divided into nine provinces which are further divided into 49 departments and 23 districts. The president appoints the provincial governors the prefects and the subprefects. A 1996 law provides for the election on a proportional partisan basis of municipal and provincial councils. At the time of Gabon's independence in 1960 two principal political parties existed: the Bloc Democratique Gabonais (BDG) led by Leon Mba; and the Union Democratique et Sociale Gabonaise (UDSG) led by J.H. Aubume. In the first post-independence election held under a parliamentary system neither party won a majority. The BDG obtained support from three of the four independent legislators and Mba was named Prime Minister. Soon after concluding that Gabon had an insufficient population for a two-party system the two leaders agreed on a single list of candidates. In the February 1961 election--held under the new presidential system--Mba became President and Aubume Foreign Minister. This one-party system functioned until February 1963 when the larger BDG element forced the UDSG members to choose between a merger of the parties or resignation. The UDSG cabinet ministers resigned and Mba called for new elections for February 1964 for a reduced number of National Assembly representatives (46 instead of the previous 67). The UDSG failed to muster a list of candidates able to meet the requirements of the electoral decrees. When the BDG appeared likely to win the elections by default the Gabonese military moved against Mba in a bloodless coup on February 18 1964. French troops reestablished his government the next day. Elections were held in April with many opposition participants. BDG-supported candidates won 31 seats and the opposition took 16. In 1966 the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office. In March 1967 Leon Mba and Omar Bongo (then Albert Bernard Bongo) were elected President and Vice President respectively. Mba died later that year after a long illness and Omar Bongo succeeded him as President. In March 1968 he declared Gabon a one-party state dissolving the BDG and establishing a new party--the Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG). He invited all Gabonese regardless of previous political affiliation to participate. Bongo was elected president in February 1975 and reelected in December 1979 and November 1986 to seven-year terms. In April 1975 the office of vice president was abolished and replaced with the office of prime minister with no provision for automatic succession. Under the 1991 constitution in the event of the president's death the prime minister the National Assembly president and defense minister share powers until new elections are held. Using the PDG as a tool to submerge the regional and tribal rivalries that have divided Gabonese politics in the past Bongo sought to forge a single national movement in support of the government's development politics. Opposition to the PDG continued however and in September 1990 two coup attempts were uncovered and aborted. Economic discontent and the desire for political liberalization resulted in violent demonstrations and strikes by students and workers in early 1990. In the spring of 1990 Bongo convened a national conference attended by the PDG and 74 other political groupings. The conference approved sweeping political reforms to set up multi-party democracy guaranteed by a redrafted constitution with a basic bill of rights to be enforced by an independent judiciary. The first multi-party National Assembly elections in nearly 30 years took place in September-October 1990. Among the provisions of the 1990 constitution are a Western-style bill of rights and the creation of a National Council of Democracy to oversee the guarantee of those rights a council advising on economic and social issues and an independent judiciary. The new constitution was adopted in March 1991 following multi-party legislative elections. In 1994 the National Assembly amended the constitution to provide for the creation of a Senate upon renewal of the legislature in 1996. The president retains strong powers including authority to dissolve the National Assembly declare a state of siege delay legislation submit proposals for vote by referendum and appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members. Authorities declared President Bongo the winner of a December 1993 presidential election which was marred by disorganization and a lack of transparency. Civil unrest demonstrations and violent repression of dissent followed over a period of several months. Majority and opposition representatives eventually negotiated the "Paris Accords" of October 1994 which set guidelines for a more transparent electoral process and for various reforms of government institutions. Elections for local and provincial councils the National Assembly and the Senate were to be administered in 1996 by a newly established independent National Election Commission. Principal Government Officials President--El Hadj Omar BONGO Prime Minister Head of Government--Paulin OBAME NGUEMA Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation--Casimir OYE MBA Ambassador to the United States--Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA Permanent Representative to the United Nations--Denis DANGUE REWAKA Gabon maintains an embassy in the United States at 2034 - 20th Street NW Washington DC 20009 (tel. 202-797-1000). ________Getting Around Edit This costom Brothers in Spirit:The Correspondence of Albert Schweitzer and William Larimer Mellon, JR [create link] Historical Dictionary of Gabon [create link] Out of My Life and Thought :An Autobiography [create link] Rentier State in Africa:Oil Rent Dependency and Neocolonialism in the Republic of Gabon [create link] The Primeval Forest:Including on the Edge of the Primeval Forest : And, More from the Primeval Forest [create link] The Primeval Forest:Including on the Edge of the Primeval Forest : And, More from the Primeval Forest [create link] The Rentier State in Africa :Oil Rent Dependency and Neocolonialism in the Republic of Gabon [create link] The Stable Minority:Civilian Rule in Africa, 1960-1990 [create link] _________Economy Edit This Economy—overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty but because of high income inequality a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil timber manganese and uranium exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth and a manageable rate of population growth the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management. In 1992 the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP and Gabon failed to settle arrears on its bilateral debt leading to a cancellation of rescheduling agreements with official and private creditors. Devaluation of its Francophone currency by 50% on 12 January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95 and a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995. Those agreements mandate progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997 an IMF mission to Gabon chastened the government for overspending on off-budget items overborrowing from the central bank and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform (such as reduced public sector employment and salary growth). GDP: purchasing power parity—$6 billion (1996 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$5 000 (1996 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 7.1% industry: 54.6% services: 38.3% (1996) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 6.2% (1996 est.) Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture 65% industry and commerce services Unemployment rate: 10%-14% (1993 est.) Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion expenditures: $1.3 billion including capital expenditures of $302 million (1996 est.) Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood; cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese uranium and gold mining; chemicals; ship repair Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (1995) Electricity—capacity: 310 000 kW (1995) Electricity—production: 925 million kWh (1995) Electricity—consumption per capita: 800 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: cocoa coffee sugar palm oil; rubber; okoume (a tropical softwood); cattle; small fishing operations (provide a catch of about 30 000 metric tons) Exports: total value: $3.1 billion (f.o.b. 1996 est.) commodities: crude oil 81% timber 12% manganese 5% uranium (1996) partners: US 50% France 16% Japan 8% China Spain Germany (1996) Imports: total value: $969 million (f.o.b. 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment foodstuffs chemicals petroleum products construction materials partners: France 39% Cote d'Ivoire 13% US 6% Netherlands 5% Japan Debt—external: $3.9 billion (1996) Economic aid: $NA Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1—608.36 (January 1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996) 499.15 (1995) 555.20 (1994) 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948 Fiscal year: calendar year __________People Edit This Population: 1 207 844 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 33% (male 202 364; female 202 249) 15-64 years: 61% (male 372 157; female 364 806) 65 years and over: 6% (male 32 718; female 33 550) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 1.48% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 28 births/1 000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 13.23 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 85.43 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 56.51 years male: 53.55 years female: 59.56 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.81 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese Ethnic groups: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang Eshira Bapounou Bateke) other Africans and Europeans 154 000 including 6 000 French and 11 000 persons of dual nationality Religions: Christian 55%-75% Muslim less than 1% animist Languages: French (official) Fang Myene Bateke Bapounou/Eschira Bandjabi Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.) ::::::::Iguela Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Iguela sail fish Iguela sail fish Iguela is a wonderful place in Loango National Park in Gabon. It is seen as one of the best places in the world for fishing Tarpon, Jacks, Cubera Snapper etc. There is a great lodge (Loango Lodge) that has 7 superb bungalows and 3 suites. From here they organize science safaris and great fishing trips. They regularly have celebrities to visit the place because its so special. ::::::::Lambarene Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Lambarene was put on the world map by Albert Schweitzer, and his hospital is still the major attraction of the small riverside town. Located some 300 km upstream from Port-Gentil the town now has a population of 30,000 making it the third city of the country. Schweitzer came here in 1913 and build his hospital on the river banks. He wanted to attract as many patients as possible from the surroundings and provided the people who came with food and shelter. His hospital was a big success, also because of good marketing and PR in Europe. The original hospital stands alongside the new one - one of the best equiped hospitals in all of Africa. The old hospital is now a museum and it can be visited. You can buy postcards, t-shirts and there is a gifshop with handicrafts. Once you've seen the hospital -which shouldn't take more than a couple of hours - you should make a trip on the lakes with a dugout canoe or pirogue as they call them in French. A trip to the lake of Ezanga, Evaro and Onague takes up a whole day in a motorized pirogue and can be arranged through the Sofitel. A trip to one or more of the smaller lakes close by can be done in half a day. ::::::Libreville Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see <ZX X Libreville is the capital of Gabon. It is a very posh city and offers lots of attractions that are hard to find in the neighboring countries or in the countryside. Golf, tennis, horseback riding, bowling, squash, shopping centres, sailing. If you need a break from the adventurous traveling most of Central Africa offers you, you have picked the right spot. Be sure to bring some cash, howver, because Libreville is not a cheap place to go. The boulevard the l'Independance runs along the water and is your primary point of orientation in town. The heart of the city is between the presidential palace and the Novotel. Things not to be missed include the presidential palace (posh posh posh), the Egilse St.Michel (best on sunday morning; the carved columns are great) and the Musee des Arts et Traditions (masks, musical instruments etc.). Be Sure not to miss all of the amazing traditional restaurants owned locally by Nathen Ebaugh! :::::::Port gentil Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Port-Gentil is located in western Gabon, on an island in the Ogooué River estuary east of Cape Lopez. It is the capital of Ogooué-Maritime Prefecture. The city is an important center of the Gabon petroleum industry as well as a sport and commercial fishing center. Exports include timber, petroleum, fish, cacao, and forest products from the interior. Local industries include fish processing, oil refining, sawmilling, and plywood fabricating. The community was originally a hunting camp called Mandji-Oroungou; a French post was established in 1885. The town developed after 1932 and was organized in 1956. Population (1993 estimate) 125,000. |