Gabon: an Example for All of Africa
Gabon: An Example For All of Africa
The country of Gabon is praised as being one of the most successful countries in Africa. Gabon is a very diverse country in many ways. There are a variety of different tribes that call Gabon home. Also, the land differs through out the county. Gabon is one of the smaller countries of Africa with the area of 267,670 square miles. Comparatively, this is the almost the same size as Colorado. The terrain of this tiny country consists of narrow coastal plains; a hilly interior; and Savannah in the east and south. Much of the interior is rain forests and is not arable. Only 1% of the land is arable The remaining land is either meadows, permanent crops, or other land forms. (The World Fact Book
1995)
Gabon is one of the most thinly populated countries in Africa. It has a population of approximately 1,155,000 (July 1995 est.) There are 11 people per square mile. The majority of the Gabonese are of ages 15-64 years. The average life expectancy is 55.14 years. Women live to be around 58, while men are usually around 52 when they die. This is why only 5% of the population is older than 65. The infant mortality is lower than many other African countries, 92.4 per 1,000 live births. (The World Fact Book 1995) As in most African countries, there are many Bantu tribes make up the ethnicity of the country. There are four major tribal groups. The Fang, Eshira,
Bapounou, and the Bateke. (The World Fact Book) The largest of these tribes is the Fang. They live mainly in the northern area of Gabon. Many years ago they were considered the fiercest warriors of the area. Now, they dominate many of the countries governmental positions. (World Book Encyclopedia page ) One of the earlier tribes that is since gone was the Omyene. They lived along the coast. The Omyene are important because they were the first of the natives to meet the European traders and missionaries. They played an important role of keeping peace with the
The country of Gabon is praised as being one of the most successful countries in Africa. Gabon is a very diverse country in many ways. There are a variety of different tribes that call Gabon home. Also, the land differs through out the county. Gabon is one of the smaller countries of Africa with the area of 267,670 square miles. Comparatively, this is the almost the same size as Colorado. The terrain of this tiny country consists of narrow coastal plains; a hilly interior; and Savannah in the east and south. Much of the interior is rain forests and is not arable. Only 1% of the land is arable The remaining land is either meadows, permanent crops, or other land forms. (The World Fact Book
1995)
Gabon is one of the most thinly populated countries in Africa. It has a population of approximately 1,155,000 (July 1995 est.) There are 11 people per square mile. The majority of the Gabonese are of ages 15-64 years. The average life expectancy is 55.14 years. Women live to be around 58, while men are usually around 52 when they die. This is why only 5% of the population is older than 65. The infant mortality is lower than many other African countries, 92.4 per 1,000 live births. (The World Fact Book 1995) As in most African countries, there are many Bantu tribes make up the ethnicity of the country. There are four major tribal groups. The Fang, Eshira,
Bapounou, and the Bateke. (The World Fact Book) The largest of these tribes is the Fang. They live mainly in the northern area of Gabon. Many years ago they were considered the fiercest warriors of the area. Now, they dominate many of the countries governmental positions. (World Book Encyclopedia page ) One of the earlier tribes that is since gone was the Omyene. They lived along the coast. The Omyene are important because they were the first of the natives to meet the European traders and missionaries. They played an important role of keeping peace with the
Bibliography: 1."Gabon." Clement 's Encyclopedia of World Government. 1996 ed. 2."Gabon." Netscape. Internet. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/gb.html Accessed December 15, 1996. 3."Gabon." The 1996 World Almanac and Fact Book. pp. 764-65. 1996 ed. 4."Gabon." The World Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. 5.Garrett, Laurie. "Ebola Again This Time in Gabon." Newsday. 12 October 1996: 6. 6. LeVine, Victor T. "Gabon." Encyclopedia Americana. 1995 ed.