Best Countries

At a glance

Capital: Libreville

Official language: French

Currency: CFA franc

Continent: Central Africa

Pablo Piccaso’s inspiration – Holidays in Gabon Travel

Gabon has not yet been developed for tourism, but there are plans to do so. If you want to explore the country now, you should do so as an individual traveler.

Location

According to Countryaah, Gabon is located in central Africa. It borders on Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo and on the Gulf of Guinea, as one of the few Central African states, has access to the Atlantic.

Travel Gabon

Gabon is the most politically stable and safest country in Central Africa. Nevertheless it is not developed for tourism. What is not that there are no beauties in the country that are worth visiting. 10% of the land area has been declared a national park, as the government sees future ecotourism as a future potential for the country.

Art Gabon

The country has a rich cultural landscape that is already reflected in the pictures of Pablo Picasso. He used motifs and images of traditional figures in his paintings. The oval face typical of Picasso can be found in many places in Gabon in the form of paintings and carvings.

Important facts

Capital: Libreville

Official language: French

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

CFA franc (100 centimes)

ISO 4217 code

XAF / 950

Geography

Continent: Africa

Region: Central

Geo coordinates: S 0 ° -48 ‘-13.3 “E 11 ° 36’ 34”

Highest mountain: Mont Iboundji (1,575 m)

Total area: 267,667 km²

Mainland: 257,667 km²

National border: 2,551 km

Coastline: 885 km

Politics

Dependency: France until 1960

UN member since: 1960

Other political affiliation: African Union

Form of government: Centralist republic

Economy

Export goods: Petroleum, wood, manganese ore, rosewood oil

BSP: $ 7.268 million

GDP: $ 8,986,200,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 10,241,000,000

Economic growth: 2.6%

GDP share of agriculture: 5.8%

GDP share of industry: 52.3%

GDP share of services: 41.9%

Inflation rate: -0.5%

State budget revenue: $ 2582 billion

State budget expenditure: $ 2126 billion

National debt: 32.7%

Export: $ 6,422,000,000

Import: $ 2,342,000,000

Foreign debt: $ 4,122,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 720,000,000

Electricity consumption: 1,820 million KWh

Gas reserves: 33,980 million m³

Gas production: 80 million m³

Gas consumption: 80 million m³

Oil reserves: 1,921 million m³

Oil production: 272,300 million m³

Oil consumption: 13,400 million m³

Cultivation area: 1.84%

Pigs: 217,500 pieces

Sheep: 220,000 pieces

Fishing: 52,000 t

Demographic data

Residents: 1,424,900

Residents in cities: 1,174,000

Average age: 18.6 years

0-14 years: 42.1%

15-64 years: 53.9%

> 65 years: 4%

Population growth: 2.13%

Birth rate: 36.16 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 12.25 / 1,000 residents

Migration: -2.65 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.99

Fertility: 4.74 children / woman

Infant mortality: 54.51 ‰

Life expectancy men: 53.21 years

Life expectancy women: 55.81 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: GA

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: GAVE

ISO 3166 numeric: 266

Top Level Domain: ga

IOC country code: GAVE

UN / LOCODE: GA

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 47,000

Cell Phones: 440,000

Radios: 710,000

TV: 530,000

Computer: 53,000

Internet users: 73,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 814 km

Paved roads: 6,648 km

of which expressways: 30 km

Cars: 43,000

Pipelines: 1,595

Health

Number of doctors: 490

Daily food intake: 2,660 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 63,000

Education

Illiteracy: 36%

History

Foundation: 1960

Last sovereign since: 1960

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Crime

Prison inmates: 1,100

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 5,000

Defense Spending: $ 272.6 million

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Gabon does not have a national airline .
Air France (AF)
flies to Libreville directly from Paris. Lufthansa (LH) flies directly to Libreville from Frankfurt. Most flights from Europe go through Paris.

Flight times

Frankfurt – Libreville: 9 hours 15; Vienna / Zurich – Libreville: 11 hours; Paris – Libreville: 6 hours 45.

Departure fee

No.

Arrival by car

Roads lead to Bitam and Ambam (Cameroon), Bata via Cocobeach (Equatorial Guinea) and into the Congo. Only around 10% of the road network, which is in poor overall condition, is paved. Much of Gabon is virgin forest. During the rainy season, the roads are hardly passable even with all-wheel drive.

Arrival by ship

Main port: Owenda, 10 km from Libreville. Regular ferry service from Libreville to São Tomé. Cargo ships sometimes take passengers with them on their way to Cameroon; Information on site.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

There are around 200 runways.

Air Service Gabon (X7) and Avirex Gabon (G2) fly from Libreville to
Franceville, Gamba, Koulamoutou, Makokou, Mouila, Oyem, Port Gentil and Tchibanga.

On the way by car / bus

The road network covers 7518 km, of which only 614 km are paved. Most of the country consists of impenetrable jungle with almost impassable roads. Driving is not recommended during the rainy season (October to mid-December and February to mid-May). There is no road connection from Port-Gentil to Libreville or any other part of the country. Road checks, where you have to identify yourself and show vehicle documents, are to be expected.

Long-distance bus:The connection between the cities is made by minibuses or trucks. There are daily minibus connections between Libreville and Lambaréné, Mouila, Oyem and Bitam (the trip to Oyem and Bitam generally includes an overnight stay). Seats can be reserved in Libreville. There are also larger buses to Mouila (and on other routes from Mouila).

Rental cars can be rented in the larger hotels or at the airport.

Documentation: International driver’s license and international insurance required.

Traveling in the city

Numerous shared taxis are available in all larger towns. Prices are different. There are also bus connections in Port Gentil and Masuku (Franceville). Taxi tariffs are not fixed and should be negotiated in advance.

On the go by train

The Trans-Gabon railway connects Libreville (Owendo station, 10 km from the city center) with Lastoursville, Booué and Franceville. The route is to be extended to Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo). Tickets should be purchased in advance as the train charges double the fare. Children between four and eleven years pay half, children under four travel free.

On the way by ship

Ferries on the coast connect Libreville with Port-Gentil (travel time: 4 hours). Ships operate on the Ogoué River between Port Gentil and Lambaréné (travel time: 10-24 hours). Some river boats go to N’djolé.