The country of Gabon does not come to most minds when one thinks of Africa. People usually think about commonly known African countries such as Nigeria or Egypt. Despite the unpopularity of Gabon, it is one of the Africa's most economically developed countries and new initiatives are being created to increase investment, so it is definitely an African country to look out for. Here is a brief synopsis of the country.
GEOGRAPHY, ETHNIC GROUPS, AND LANGUAGE
Gabon is located in Central Africa between Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo. The country is comprised of over 40 ethnic groups, with the Fang and Nzebi being the largest. Most Gabonese ethnic groups stem from Bantu origin. The official language for the country of Gabon is French, but in recent years the country has contemplated changing its official language to English due to disputes with France.
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| Fang Ethnic Group (one of major ethnic groups in Gabon) |
The political system of Gabon can be viewed as a republic in which a President is elected, who then appoints a Prime Minister. The legislative branch of Gabon consists of a Parliament. The Parliament has two chambers: The National Assembly and Senate, where each chamber is responsible for creating and passing laws on a national and state level. The rule of law is based on the Gabonese Constitution established in the 1990's. The Supreme Court in Gabon is responsible for upholding this rule of law. The current President of Gabon, Ali Bongo is son of Omar Bongo, who was president from 1967 to his death in 2009. After Omar Bongo's death, Ali Bongo was elected.
STANDARD OF LIVING
Though Gabon is one of the most economically developed countries in Africa, income is not proportionately distributed and many find themselves in poverty. Despite this, the standard of living for regular Gabonese people is improving as the President takes on new initiatives to decrease unemployment by offering incentives for more investors to enter into the country.
RELIGION & CULTURE
The major religion in Gabon is Christianity, yet there are small percentages of people that practice other religions. The Gabonese people are highly spiritual and a lot of their traditions are centered around religion. In addition, the Gabonese are very artistic and are known for their mask making. To get an up close view of Gabonese art, there is a virtual museum of traditional arts for Gabon which you can view here: http://www.gabonart.com/visites-virtuelles/carnet-de-voyage.
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| Gabonese Mask created by Fang people representing harvest time. |
To get a better sense of the people that make up the country of Gabon, here are couple of more links to a traditional Gabonese dance and a recipe for Gabonese Mustard Chicken.
Sources:
CIA World Fact Book: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gb.html
BBC News "Gabon Country Profile". 27 September 2016.
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