Gabon

Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres and its population is estimated at 2.3 million people. There are coastal plains, mountains, and a savanna in the east. Libreville is the country's capital and the largest city.

Gabon's original inhabitants are the pigmy peoples. Beginning in the 14th century, Bantu migrants began settling in the area as well. Since its independence from France in August 1960, the sovereign state of Gabon has had three presidents. In the 1990s, it introduced a multi-party system and a democratic constitution that aimed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed some governmental institutions. Despite this, the Gabonese Democratic Party remains the dominant party.