GABONESE Facts & Figures

Size: 103,347 square miles

Population: 1,475,000

Capital:  Libreville

Currency: Central African CFA franc

Weather / Climate:




Taken from wikipedia

GABONESE languages

The official language of Gabon is French, while 32% of the people speak Fang as a mother tongue[1]. French is the medium of instruction. Before World War II very few Gabonese learned French, nearly all of them working in either business or government administration. After the war, France worked for universal primary education in Gabon, and by the 1960-61 census, 47% of the Gabonese over the age of fourteen spoke some French, while 13% were literate in the language. By the 1990s, the literacy rate had risen to about 60%.

A small percentage, several thousand in number, have had secondary or higher education and are extremely fluent in French. It is estimated that 80%[2] of the country's population are able to speak the language and one-third of residents of Libreville, the capital city, are native French speakers[3]. More than 10,000 French people live in Gabon, and France predominates the country's foreign cultural and commercial influences.

The indigenous languages are all members of the Bantu family, estimated to have come to Gabon about 2,000 years ago, and differentiated into about 40 languages. They are generally spoken but not written; while missionaries from the United States and France developed transcriptions for a number of languages based on the Latin alphabet starting in the 1840s, and translated the Bible into several of them, French colonial policy officially promoted the study of French and discouraged African languages. The languages continue to be transmitted through family and clan, and individuals in cities and other areas where multiple peoples come in contact may learn several Bantu languages.

The Gabonese government sponsored research on the Bantu languages starting in the 1970s.

The three largest languages are Fang, Mbere, and Sira (Eshira), each with about 25-30% of the speakers. The remainder of the languages are single-digit percentages, and some have only a few thousand speakers.

Taken from:



Age structure:0-14 years: 42.1% (male 320,414/female 318,027)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 407,461/female 409,633)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,799/female 34,659) (2010 est.)

Population growth rate:1.934% (2010 est.)

Birth rate:35.57 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate:12.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Net migration rate:-3.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate:51.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.11 years
male: 52.19 years
female: 54.05 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate:4.59 children born/woman (2011 est.)

Taken from:


Gabonese cuisineis the cooking traditions, practices, foods and dishes associated with the sovereign state of Gabon. French cuisine is prevalent as a notable influence, and in larger cities various french specialties are available.[1] In rural areas, food staples such as cassava, rice and yams are commonly used.[1][2]Meats, when available, include chicken and fish, and bush meats such as antelope, wild boar and monkey.[1] Sauces are often utilized, with hot red pepper berbere paste used commonly.[1] Fruits include bananas, papayas, guavas, mangoes, pineapples, coconuts, avocado and peanuts.[3] Plantains, tomatoes, corn, and eggplant are also used.[3]

Common foods and dishes

Taken from wikipedia

Doing business in GABON

Gabon's economy is dominated by oil. Oil revenues comprise roughly 46% of the government’s budget, 43% of gross domestic product (GDP), and 81% of exports. Oil production is now declining rapidly from its high point of 370,000 barrels per day in 1997. Some estimates suggest that Gabonese oil will be expended by 2025. In spite of the decreasing oil revenues, planning is only now beginning for an after-oil scenario.[5]




The economy is highly dependent on extraction of abundant primary materials. Prior to the discovery of oil, logging was the pillar of the Gabonese economy. Today, logging and manganese mining are the other major income generators. Recent explorations point to the presence of the world’s largest unexploited iron ore deposit. For many living in the countryside without access to employment in extractive industries, remittances from family members in urban areas or subsistence activities provide income.[5]



Taken from wikipedia

GABON: useful links

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