Middle Africa · GAB
Gabon
The story · 8 chapters
How it was drawn
Forest peoples and coastal traders, a French foothold from 1839 that grew up the Ogooué river, then an oil state ruled by the Bongo family for over half a century after independence in 1960.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Gabon fought or stood against, from the first to today.
- France1839 to 1960
France gains a foothold on the estuary by treaty in 1839 and conquers the interior over the following decades, granting huge concessions to companies that force people to work. Gabon becomes independent in 1960, but French troops remain.
- Kingdom of Spain1885 to 1900
Spain and France both claim the coast north of the Gabon estuary, around Corisco Bay and the Muni river. The Treaty of Paris of 1900 settles the line, leaving Spain the small mainland colony of Río Muni.
- German Empire1911 to 1916
After the Agadir crisis, France cedes northern Gabon, including Woleu-Ntem, to German Kamerun in 1911. French forces take it back during the First World War.
- Vichy France1940
Gabon's colonial authorities side with Vichy in 1940. Free French forces from Cameroon and Congo invade, and after a short campaign take Libreville in November 1940.
- Equatorial Guinea1972 to 2025
In 1972 Gabon's troops occupy Mbanié, a tiny islet near rich offshore waters that Equatorial Guinea also claims. The two countries take the case to the International Court of Justice, which gives its judgment in May 2025.
Today
Gabon now
Gabon, a sparsely populated country known for its dense rainforests and vast petroleum reserves, is one of the most prosperous and stable countries in central Africa. Approximately 40 ethnic groups are represented, the largest of which is the Fang, a group that covers the northern third of Gabon and expands north into Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. From about the early 1300s, various kingdoms emerged in present-day Gabon and the surrounding area, including the Kingdoms of Loango and Orungu.
- Capital
- Libreville
- Government
- presidential republic
- Head of government
- Raymond Ndong Sima
- Head of state
- Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema
- Languages
- French
- Area
- 267,670 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population2.5 million2023 · 472,800 in 1950
- Life expectancy68.3 years2023 · 39.3 years in 1950
- GDP per person$15,7202022 · $2,958 in 1950
- Living in cities92%2025 · 11% in 1950
- Literacy89%2021
- Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- Military spending1.7% of GDP2025
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- France
- United States
- Congo, Dem. Rep.
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.