Gabon - Gabon

Gabon

Location
Coat of arms and flag
Capital	Libreville
Government	Presidential republic
Currency	Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
Surface	267,667 km²
Inhabitants	1.475.000 (2009 estimate)
Tongue	French
Religion	Catholicism (75%), Animism (20%), Islam (5%)
Electricity	220V / 50Hz (European socket)
Prefix	241
TLD	.ga
Time zone	UTC 1
Website	Gabonese site^{[link not working]}

The Gabon is a nation ofWest Africa which faces the Atlantic Ocean to the west and is bordered to the north by the Equatorial Guinea and the Cameroon to the east with the Republic of the Congo.

To know

Geographical notes

Gabon is crossed by the equator. 15% of the territory is a protected area in which there are 13 national parks and 9 reserves. The equatorial forest covers 85% of the surface of Gabon. The grassy savannah is found along the coast and southeast of the region of Franceville.

To the east and north, they rise progressively from the plateaus from where many rivers arise which have deeply affected these plateaus giving rise to steep and steep valleys. The highest point of this relief and of all Gabon is Mount Iboundji (1575 m).

When to go

The two dry seasons they run from May to September and from December to January, while two o'clock rainy seasons they run from September to December and from February to May. Average temperatures range between 22 ° and 32 ° C.

Background

The name Gabon comes from the Portuguese word gabao (a coat with a muff and a hood) because it was what Portuguese traders who arrived in the 15th century saw in the silhouette of the estuary of the river Komo.

It gained independence from the France on August 17, 1960.

Spoken languages

In addition to French which is the official language, the Bantu languages are also spoken. The most widespread language is that of the Fang spoken by over 30% of the population.

Territories and tourist destinations

Gabon is divided into 9 provinces, which in turn are divided into a total of 37 departments.

Coast of Gabon - He understands Libreville, Leg, Loango National Park, Kango, Mayumba, Tchibanga. Flat river plains and lagoons with dense rainforests on the Atlantic coast, in addition to the capital and the majority of the population.

Central highlands of Gabon - The Cristal mountains and the Chaillou massif with huge stretches of plateaus covered with rainforests.

Jungle of the Gabonese hinterland - The eastern region mostly bordering the Republic of Congo. It includes Franceville and rainforests.

Waterfalls in the Ivindo National Park

Urban centers

Libreville - The capital.
Franceville - Capital of the Haut-Ogooué province.
Leg
Kango
Lambaréné - Capital of the province of Moyen-Ogooué.
Mayumba
Owendo
Port-Gentil - The second most populous city in Gabon as well as the capital of the province of Ogooué-Maritime located on Cape Lopez.

Other destinations

I 13 national parks from Gabon are:

Akanda National Park (540 km²) - Mangroves and low tides are the perfect habitat for migratory birds and turtles.
Batéké Plateau National Park (2,050 km²) - Savannah crossed by rivers with Tibetan bridges used by the locals; habitat of African forest elephants, buffaloes and antelopes.
Crystal Mountains National Park (1,200 km²) - Misty forests rich in orchids, begonias, and other floral species.
Ivindo National Park (3,000 km²) - Two of the most beautiful waterfalls inCentral Africa; gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants gather around its rivers and pools of water to drink.
Loango National Park (1,550 km²) - A 100km stretch of virgin beaches with adjacent rainforest, both scenic and perfect for watching leopards, elephants, gorillas, and monkeys on the beach.
Lope National Park (4,970 km²) - A mixture of savannah and dense forest along the Ogooue River; float in a pirogue along the river, admire ancient rock arts, or follow the tracks of gorillas or mandrills with a pygmy guide.
Mayumba National Park (80 km²) - Sandy peninsula and the largest natural breeding area for turtles.
Minkebe National Park (7,560 km²) - Highland forest with large sandstone domes, habitat of elephants and antelopes.
Monts Birougou National Park (690 km²)
Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (4,500 km²)
Mwagne National Park (1,160 km²)
Pongara National Park (870 km²)
Waka National Park (1,070 km²)

How to get

Entry requirements

Gabon

Free access without a visa

Visa on arrival and e-Visa required

Electronic visa required

Passport, visa and yellow fever vaccination. The VISA must be obtained at the Gabonese embassy in Rome, the cost is 50 euros (data as of 2013), it is necessary to bring the vaccination certificate against yellow fever, the return flight, 2 passport photos, the hotel reservation, release time 5 days.Italian embassy it is found at Libreville.

How to get around

By car

Traveling by car does not present problems in the cities, there is not a lot of traffic and about 60% of the urban roads are asphalted.

By taxi

Avoid using taxis late in the evening and at night, especially if alone.

By bus

Buses are frequently used by locals, but are not particularly crowded.

What see

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What to do

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Currency and purchases

CEMAC - Map of participating countries

CFA Franc - Map of participating countries

The national currency is the CFA franc (XAF). The Euro is fairly easy to exchange with favorable exchange rates, while credit cards are only accepted by major hotels and travel agencies. This same currency is used by all states belonging to theEconomic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale - CEMAC).

The following states belong to the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Chad.

Although the Central African CFA Franc (XAF) and the West African CFA Franc (XOF) have always had the same monetary value against other currencies, they are in principle two separate currencies because the competent monetary authorities could change their rate at any time. exchange. Therefore these currencies are "theoretically" accepted only in the countries where they officially circulate.

The following states belong to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine - UEMOA): Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal is Togo

UEMOA - Acceding countries map

1 CFA Franc coin

Below are the links to know the current exchange rate with the main world currencies:

(EN) With Google Finance:	AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD
With Yahoo! Finance:	AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD
(EN) With XE.com:	AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD
(EN) With OANDA.com:	AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD

At the table

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Tourist infrastructure

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Events and parties

Gabonese mask

National holidays

Date		Festivity	Note
1	January	New Year	International holiday
	March April	Easter, Easter Monday	Christian holiday
17	April	Women's day	International holiday
1	May	Workers Day	International holiday
	May June	Ascension, Whit Monday	Christian holiday
15	August	Assumption	Christian holiday
16	August	Independence Day	Independence from France (1960). The celebrations last for two days.
1	November	All Saints	Christian holiday
25	December	Christmas	Christian holiday that marks the birth of Christ
1	muharram	Ras as-Sana	Muslim holiday that marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year
12	rabi 'al-awwal	Mawlid	Muslim holiday that marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad
1	shawwal	Id al-fitr	Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan
10	dhul-hijja	Id Al Adha	Muslim festival of sacrifice or ram also called Tabaski or Id El Kabir (great festival)

Safety

The state is one of the safest in Africa, petty crime is not widespread, the only warning is that it is not recommended to go to the bush and the equatorial forest, to be visited only if accompanied by local guides due to the widespread presence of reptiles and elephants and the ease of loss of orientation.