Africa > Central Africa > Gabon > Gabon Geography Profile

Gabon: Gabon Geography Profile

2015/03/13

 Africa,Gabon,Mboka A Nzambe village,Bwiti ceremonies,Forest,the shaman Adumangana

gb-large-locator.gifGabon is a country of one-and-a-half million people in west-central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea.

A small people and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier nations. Iin general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity.

Gabon's major environmental issues include: deforesting and poaching.

Additional than a third of the people lives in the capitol city, Libreville.

Until recently, only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960.

The recent president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of national in the world - had dominated the country's political scene for four decades. President Bongo introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. President Bongo died in June 2009.

New elections in August 2009 brought Ali Ben Bongo, son of the former president, to power.

Despite political conditions, a small people, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the additional prosperous and stable African nations.

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between the Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Geographic Coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E

Area: 267,667 km2 (257,667 km2 land and 10,000 km2water)

arable land: 1.21%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 98.15% (2005)

Land Boundaries: 2,551 km. Border nations: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Note: The UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime Claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Terrain: Narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south. Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Mont Iboundji (1,575 metres)

Climate: Tropical; always hot, humid

Ecology and Biodiversity

1. Central African mangroves flank the coastline of western and central Africa, in suitable low energy marine environments.The majority significant remaining blocks of habitat are found in the Niger River Delta in Nigeria, to the east of the mouth of the Cross River in Nigeria and Cameroon, around Doula in Cameroon, and the Muni Estuary and Como River in Gabon.

2. Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests extend from the Sanaga River in west-central Cameroon south through Equatorial Guinea into the coastal and inland areas of Gabon. There are exceptionally high levels of species richness and endemism, contains large blocks of evergreen lowland moist forest, and the central portion has one of the lowest human people densities in Africa. The lowland forests are multi-layered, with tall trees and canopies up to 60 meters (m) high. Near the coast the vegetation is somewhat different, particularly in Gabon, where there are long strips of coastal savanna mosaic known as Guineo-Congolian edaphic grassland. These coastal savannas intergrade with low coastal forest and scrub, which gradually give way to continuous moist forest cover further inland.

3. Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic

4. Northwestern Congolian lowland forests stretches across four nations - Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. Large areas of the interior, particularly in Gabon and Congo, are almost devoid of human inhabitants, with people densities as low as one person per km2

gabon-ecoregions.jpg

Ecorgions of Gabon. Source: World Wildlife Fund

Gabon ranks initial as the as the least populated, forested country in Africa. In Gabon, apart from the logging camps, the forests are inhabited at low densities by agricultural and fishing people inclunding small groups of forest dwelling Bakola and Bagyeli peoples.

Protected areas include part of the Lopé Reserve, the large Gamba complex of protected areas and the Wonga-Wongué Presidential Reserve. An additional 13 forest National Parks are in the process of being established in Gabon. The declaration of the Minkébé Forest Reserve (5,650 km2) marked a significant enhancement of the conservation area network in Gabon. Significant Bird Areas include Ipassa Strict Nature Reserve and Minkébé Forest Reserve in Gabon.

There are as well oil exploration and production facilities in Gabon, that are fragmenting the forest to some extent and favoring human settlements. In the completed, elephant poaching was less pronounced in Gabon than elsewhere, but presently seems to be on the increase.

Location: 

Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Geographic coordinates: 

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Map references: 

Africa

Area comparative: 

slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries Total: 

2,551 km

Land boundaries Note: 

Climate: 

tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: 

narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Natural resources: 

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Natural hazards: 

NA

Environment - current issues: 

deforestation; poaching

Geography note: 

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity