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| location | |
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| flag | |
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| Short dates | |
| Capital | Libreville |
|---|---|
| Form of government | Presidential Republic |
| currency | CFA Franc (XAF) |
| surface | 267,668 km² |
| population | 1.58 million |
| languages | French (official), Bantu languages |
| Religions | Christians 55% to 75%, animists, Muslims less than 1% |
| power grid | 220 V / 50 Hz |
| Phone code | 241 |
| Internet TLD | .ga |
| Time zone | CET |
Gabon (French: "Gabon") is located on the Atlantic coast Central Africa. Bordering countries are Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo. In particular through Albert Schweitzer and his hospital in Lambaréné, the land is still known to the older generation today.
Regions
There are two major cities, the rest of the country is provincial.
- Port Gentilthat cannot be reached by land
- Libreville - Capital, are nearby
Responsible for the protected areas and Visiting permits is Parcs du Gabon. This organization is not overly effective. In the Minkébé National Park alone, eleven thousand elephants were poached in 2004-14. In 2016 it was estimated that 70% of the population had been killed.
In order to prevent inspectors from demanding bribes on the way to parks, it makes sense to have several copies of the permit (also for the driver!) And the passport ready.
Other goals
Lambaréné
1 Lambaréné(0 ° 42 ′ 3 ″ S10 ° 14 '14 "E), a city with almost 40,000 inhabitants in the center of the country on the N1 became known worldwide through the leprosy hospital opened in 1924 by the later Nobel Peace Prize laureate Albert Schweitzer, who worked here for around forty years. The hospital (rebuilt in 1981) on the left bank of the Ogooué, whose main focus is UF Tropical diseases of all kinds still exists today. This includes a small museum and the simple guest house Hôtellerie de l'Hôpital Albert Schweitzer.
Excursions and dugout tours to the 1 Azingo lake(0 ° 32 ′ 13 ″ S.10 ° 0 ′ 54 ″ E) with its hippos or Zilé lake for bird watching can be booked through hotels in Lambaréné.
- getting there
There are river ferries every morning from Port-Gentil.
Buses the SOGATRA from Libreville (PK8) it takes around four hours (4000 CFA). Bush taxis cost twice as much as the bus on the route, but they are not faster either. SOGATRA tickets are available in the office opposite. from the town hall at the Total petrol station.
The cook La Paillote is a bit outside, towards the landing site. At the weekend there is a special “Weekend Shopping Bus,” which is air-conditioned for 5500 CFA, Libreville PK8 from 7.30, back from Lambarene 14.30-
Lopé National Park
The 4910 km² area consists partly of rainforest, partly of savannah 2 Lopé National Park(0 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ S.11 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ E). Since 2007 World Natural Heritage you can find forest elephants here (Loxodonta cyclotis) and lowland gorillas.
The luxurious Lopé Hotel organizes tours in the park. This is a much cheaper alternative Motel E. Mbeki.
background
| Map of Gabon |
After independence in 1960, Gabon was regarded as an African model country until the 1990s, also because of its oil wealth. Growing corruption then widened the gap between rich and poor. The situation has only improved again since 2010/2. The average monthly net in 2017 was 600,000 CFA (this does not apply to the approx. 20% unemployed and 56% employed in agriculture).
getting there
Entry requirements
There are always reports that difficulties arise when entering overland despite having a visa. Apart from citizens of some neighboring countries, everyone needs an entry visa, available from:
- Consular section of the Embassy of Gabon, Hohensteiner Str. 16, D-14197 Berlin. Tel.: 49 30 8973 34-40, Fax: 49 30 8973 34. 2 passport photos and forms, hotel bookings or letters of invitation for business travelers. Also responsible for Austria.Price: cash in a letter, no checks: € 80, express € 120, plus postage paid envelope.
- Section consulaire de l'Ambassade, Avenue Raphaël 26 bis, F-75016 Paris. Tel.: 331 42 99 68 68. Also responsible for Switzerland.
- Visa-on-arrival
All EU nationals, but not Swiss or Liechtenstein citizens, can apply Visa-on-arrival got at the airport. Passports must be valid for another 3 months.
- eVisa
Since 2015 there has been the possibility of one eVisa (“Electronic Travel Authorization”). Since November 2017, it has also been allowed to enter across the country's borders. The processing time is 72 hours; 1-3 months, single entry costs 45,000 CFA or € 70. 6 months, multiple entries 120,000 CFA or 185 €. In addition, there is a 15 € processing fee. Passports must be valid for another 6 months.
Visas that entitle you to stay shorter than 3 months can be extended at the DGDI in Libreville.
See also: List of Gabon’s diplomatic missions abroad
- inch
Hunting weapons and ammunition require a permit. Pornographic is prohibited.
Allowances from 17 years:
- 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 cigarillos, 250 g tobacco (production from Cameroon, unlimited if coming from Cameroon). Women are only allowed to bring in cigarettes.
- 2 liters of alcohol or 3 liters of wine and one liter of schnapps
- 50 g of perfume
- 2 cameras
- Gifts up to 5000 CFA[1]
By plane
The journey is generally made via the international airport Aéroport international Léon Mba in the capital Libreville. From here there are a number of connections within Africa, but also to Europe, especially with Air France / KLM above Paris (CDG). Royal Air Maroc has connections via Casablanca, Ethiopian takes longer about Addis Ababa. Details in the article too Libreville.
By bus
Cameroonian bus / taxi passengers must cross the border on foot.
In the street
There is right-hand traffic. Self-drivers need, in addition to the vehicle and driver's license for their car Carnet de Passages. Entry is also possible without, in which case a fee is required for 30 days at the border Passavant to be acquired (2017: 10,000 CFA). Petrol costs 580 CFA, diesel 510 CFA / l (March 2017). There are no parking zones in Libreville, which are also used for towing.
The main roads around Libreville are paved, although not according to European standards. The road network is thin and in poor condition, and many villages are practically inaccessible. All-wheel drive is essential during the rainy seasons (October to December and mid-February to May).
Larger crossings are regulated by traffic lights. Without switching them off, they are gladly regulated by heavily armed executive bodies, especially in the area of the presidential palace.
As a non-local you will be stopped and checked at least once a day. Items and IDs to be carried in the vehicle are:
- International driving licence
- Passport with a valid visa
- Vaccination certificate with confirmation of Yellow fever vaccination
- Fire extinguisher
- valid sticker on the fire extinguisher
- Card for the validity of the badge on the fire extinguisher
Traffic fines do not have a fixed tariff. The officer is happy to get in the car, drive you into a quiet side street and you can get away with about 15 € (without receipt). If the executive does not have a vehicle, they also get into a taxi and they will stop you.
- From Cameroon
- In 2 Anbam (Ambam)(2 ° 22 '48 "N.11 ° 16 '4 "E) Turn off the N2 to Abang-Minko. The 1 Police station(2 ° 17 ′ 41 ″ N.11 ° 26 '49 "E) (7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) is about three kilometers from the border, a hundred meters further on is customs. At the bridge, the gendarmerie checks the papers before leaving the country. Cameroonian buses / taxis with passengers are not allowed to cross the border. The taxis in Amban do not drive from the bus station to the border but from a stand 2 km away.
- Continue to the border village of Éboro. The one there 1 Border guards(2 ° 16 ′ 50 ″ N.11 ° 27 '12 "E) checks vehicle documents and refers for a visa on arrival to the 3 guard(2 ° 4 '46 "N.11 ° 29 ′ 33 ″ E) in the main street of Bitam. Sometimes a copy of the visa is required here. Car owners need to be in the 2 Customs office(2 ° 4 '57 "N.11 ° 29 '23 "E) show an insurance that AriaAgency in the building of the Conseil Departmental du Ntem has negotiable prices.
- There is that in accommodations here Horizon Hotel Restaurant and the luxurious Bénédicta (with pool). The buses from Bitam Express drive to Libreville.
- The 2 Border crossing near Kye-Ossi(2 ° 10 ′ 28 ″ N.11 ° 21 '28 "E) the prescribed hotel booking is checked. Coming from Anban (police station) it is 38 km on the well-developed Cameroonian N2, which from Douala comes. Cameroonian bus / taxi passengers must cross the border on foot.
In 4 Ebebiyín(2 ° 9 ′ 18 ″ N.11 ° 20 ′ 6 ″ E) it goes to Equatorial Guinea.
- From Congo-Brazzaville
- Of 5 Okoyo(1 ° 27 ′ 51 ″ S15 ° 4 '53 "E)where there is no hotel, it goes to the southwest. Until a few years ago, you drove to the border on a furrowed sand track that was difficult to pass during the rainy season. The 90 km are paved in 2017. A first checkpoint is in 6 Leketi(1 ° 35 ′ 0 ″ S14 ° 57 ′ 8 ″ E). The real one 3 Border and customs control(1 ° 37 ′ 37 ″ S14 ° 37 ′ 31 ″ E) takes place 37 km further.
- A Gabonese 4 Border post(1 ° 40 ′ 32 ″ S14 ° 25 ′ 34 ″ E) is right on the border. "Entry fee" (bribe) is demanded by self-drivers, the amount is not acknowledged and then at the actual gendarmerie and 3 Customs post in Lekoni(1 ° 41 ′ 2 ″ S14 ° 23 ′ 19 ″ E) due again. Roads are paved on the Gabonese side.
- Another transition between 7 Mbinda(2 ° 6 ′ 29 ″ S12 ° 52 '13 "E) (Congo) and 8 Lekoko(2 ° 4 ′ 5 ″ S12 ° 53 '44 "E.). On the Gabonese side, clearance takes place in 5 Bakoumba(1 ° 49 ′ 35 ″ S13 ° 0 ′ 39 ″ E), thirty kilometers further on the R24. If you are late for the check-in, this is the Hotel Impala. If necessary, you can take a detour to the wildlife park Parc de la Lekedi at.
- Out 9 Kibangou(3 ° 28 ′ 38 ″ S12 ° 18 ′ 28 ″ E) Coming on the Congolese N3 it is 160 km to the border river. The exit formalities are done in Doussala. The road conditions of the nearly 40 km on the N1 between the border and the Gabonese 10 Ndende(2 ° 24 ′ 14 ″ S11 ° 21 '9 "E) (here Gabonese customs and police posts) is unanimously described as miserable in spring 2018. It is hardly passable during the rainy season.
By boat
On the Ogooué, 310 km are really navigable, ferries run between Port-Gentil to Lambaréné and Ndjole, which travel 10-24 hours depending on the direction. Small ships can be used to get to the Congo.
From Libreville-Porte Môle you can get to Port-Gentil by ferry in a good eleven hours.
Between 11 Cogo(1 ° 5 ′ 0 ″ N.9 ° 41 ′ 38 ″ E) (Equatorial Guinea) and 12 Cocobeach dugout canoes. This is a legitimate border crossing option (provided you can get a visa for Equat.-Guinea).
The ferry to / from Sao Tome was discontinued in 2015, but ships continue to operate irregularly, they also take passengers. Please inquire about times and conditions on site.
mobility
Within Libreville and Port-Gentil, the taxi is the means to an end.
Overland it goes by bus or bush taxi (taxi brousse).
- Road robbery
At checkpoints becomes routine cadeau or charge for any imaginary irregularities. Sometimes refusal or asking for a receipt can depress the price.
National roads
Less than 15% of the country roads are tarred.
- N1: Libreville - Kougouleu - Bifoun - Lambaréné - Mouila (from here piste) - Ndendé - (Congo-Brazzaville border)
- N2: Bifoun - Alembe - Viate - Mitzic - Bibasse - Oyem - Bitam (to Cameroon, see above)
- N3: Alembe - Kazamabika - Lastoursville - Moanda - Franceville
- N4: Viate - Ekonlong - Makokou - Mékambo (here already border clearance to the crossing at Ekata)
- N5: Kougouleu - Bibasse
- N6: Mayumba - Tchibanga - Ndendé - Lebamba - Koulamoutou - Lastoursville
- N7: Makokou - Bakwaka - Okondja - Lékori - Akiéni - Ngouoni - Franceville
The city is the transport hub in the south 13 Ndende(2 ° 24 ′ 19 ″ S11 ° 21 '26 "E). This is where the from the northern border ends in 14 Bitam(2 ° 4 ′ 41 ″ N.11 ° 29 ′ 47 "E) beginning N5 / N1. Follow the N6 to the coast 15 Mayumba(3 ° 23 ′ 12 ″ S10 ° 40 ′ 29 ″ E) (183 km). For the border to Congo-Brazzaville see above.
railroad
The only rail line that Transgabonais, connects Libreville-Owendo with Franceville over 639 km. There are a further 21 stations along the route. Trains of the type Train Omnibus l’Équateur stop everywhere, the express Trans-Ogooué only in Ndjolé, Lopé, Booué, Ivindo, Lastourville, Moanda and Franceville. Departures are once a day (not Saturday), the express then alternates with the bus. Its wagons were bought second-hand in Korea in 2011. The Express, with a restaurant, is about a third more expensive. Open-plan cars made in Germany have been used for this since 2017.
One advantage of using the train is that you are safe from policemen demanding bribe at checkpoints.
language
Knowing the French language is a must! Advancement is not guaranteed with either German or English.
to buy
Due to the politically deliberate overvaluation of the West African Franc (CFA), quality or performance is seldom in the right proportion to the quality offered.
A pack of cigarettes costs 1000-1200 CFA (2018).
kitchen
Almost two thirds of the food is imported and the prices are correspondingly high. Alcohol is not taxed and is therefore cheaper than anywhere else in Africa. The occurrence of the tsetse fly hinders local livestock farming.
As a former French colony, Gabon has excellent pastries that are always fresh! On the roadsides there are countless stalls selling fresh, cooked, grilled or fried food.
Particularly noteworthy at this point is the delicious Coupe Coupe. A beef cooked in a stone oven at a low temperature, thinly sliced, in a fresh baguette. As with almost all street vendors, the seasoning consists of mayonnaise and Maggi soup seasoning that takes getting used to. Optional: chopped chillies.
There are also countless kitchens located in backyards that you can only find out about from locals. The food there often consists of:
- cooked fish
- fried fish
- Sauce meat (looks like goulash, tastes like spaghetti sauce)
- manioc
- Sweet potatoes
Evening restaurants offer anything from pizza to exotic foods like Gazelle. A decent meal for two costs 40,000 CFA in 2018.
The Castel daughter brews beer and lemonades, Sobraga. The most common local brand is Régab. Beer bottles contain 650 ml.
accommodation
If you travel to Gabon, you have to forego the usual standards! Infrastructure problems are the order of the day. Electricity and water supply are not always guaranteed.
There are few international hotel chains in Libreville. There are many pensions, you should rely on the recommendations and experiences of others.
public holidays
The following national holidays are celebrated in Gabon: Jan 1st, New Year; Apr., Women's Day; May 1st, Labor Day; 16.-17. August, national holiday. On religious holidays, the Ascension Day is celebrated on May 13, 2021, Pentecost including the following Monday (May 24, 2021); August 15, Assumption of Mary; November 1st, All Saints' Day and Christmas. Based on the Muslim lunar calendar, the end of Ramadan is celebrated (May 13, 2021); the multi-day festival of sacrifice begins on July 19, 2021, the 10th Dhū al-Jiddscha.
security
In the two big cities there are (violent) property crimes. After dark, you shouldn't walk alone. Police checks on country roads are frequent.
Photographing military installations or important infrastructure is prohibited. Koran believers in particular are reluctant to be photographed.
health
Malaria prophylaxis is necessary everywhere all year round. Schistosomiasis occurs in freshwater lakes.
The stitches are extremely itchy, but only after a few days fourous called small insects.
climate
The humidity on the coast is around 85% all year round. Rainy seasons March-April and October-December. The daytime temperatures change little. During the day 28-31 ° C, at night 23-24 ° C. The best travel time is June to August.
Practical advice
Post delivery does not take place.
Cellular and Internet
The semi-public Gabon Telecom is a landline provider and has a mobile network (with Airtel) at the same time a market share of sixty percent as well as very good coverage in rural areas. Billing is accurate to the second and depending on the recipient network. In 2018 there are prepaid 4G data packages that are billed according to volume (1 Mb = 100 CFA). International SMS 75 CFA. Foreigners must hand in a copy of their passport and visa when purchasing a SIM card.
All telephone numbers have eight digits, there are no area codes. Landline numbers begin with 01. (When calling from abroad, the leading zero must not be omitted.)
Axione expanded the broadband network by 2017 to such an extent that 70% of the population had access to the Internet. Censorship or monitoring of network access did not (yet) take place in 2012.
literature
- Work of the catholic missionary André Raponda Walker (1871-1968)
- Griebner, Reinhard; The laughing lion: an Albert Schweitzer biography; Heidelberg 2014 (Morio); ISBN 9783945424025
- Country, Cees op't; Easy, Bernd; Boer, Peter de; Davis, Geoffrey V .; Gabon: tribal art; [Walldorf] 2005 (Völkerkundemuseum Heidelberg); ISBN 9783000170485
- Rich, Jeremy; Workman Is Worthy of His Meat: Food and Colonialism in the Gabon Estuary; 2007 (University of Nebraska Press); ISBN 0803210914 Full text
- Swiderski, Stanislaw; Girou-Swiderski, Marie-Laure; Poésie populaire et les chants religieux du Gabon; Ottawa 1981; ISBN 2760300447
Web links
- Long term stays (French)
- Albert Schweitzer today
- Gabon Economie (French)
