|RNational holidays:|N Renovation Day, March 12, Independence Day, August 17.
|RNature and climate:|N A broad coastal plain that continues in the Ogooué River valley. The rest mountainous and highland plateau areas. Highest peak 1190 m.a.s.l.
Savannah in the southern part of the coastal plain. In the rest of the nation mostly rainforests.
Average temperature 23-27°C the whole year.
Percipitation 1500 to 3500 mm, most by the northern coast.
|RPeople:|N Most of the people are Bantu-negroes, biggest tribes are Fang 25% and Bapounua 10%. 4% non-African, mainly French.
|REconomy:|N 65% of the population is occupied in agriculture, 30% in industry and trade.
Gabon is rich on minerals. 75% of the exportvalue comes from oil and natural gas. Within the nation are also extracted manganese, gold, uranium and iron. There are also finds of lead, zink and copper.
Most important crops are cacao, coffee, rice, peanuts, palmoil, cassava and bananas.
80% of the land is covered by forests and forestry is extensive.
Manufacturing is not much developed and consists mainly of oil refineries, chemical factories, sawmills and foodfactories.
It was a French colony 1839 and a part of French Congo 1888-1908. 1908 to 1958 a part of French Equatorial Africa and an independent nation since 1960.
Amar Bongo was elected president 1967 and has been re-elected every seventh year since then.
By the Ogooué River, 250 km from the coast, is Albert Schweizers famous hospital Lambaréné.
