Libreville

Libreville

Located on the northern shore of the Gabon estuary, which flows into the Gulf of Guinea, Libreville is the capital of Gabon. The city is built on a hill overlooking a well-protected harbor. On a plateau rising from the sea is the former European sector, which has a modern appearance and houses the main administrative and commercial buildings. Traditional African villages partially surround this community and end up at the mouth of the river. After the 16th century, the Pongoue first settled in the estuary. They were followed in the 19th century by the Fang, who migrated south from Cameroon. The French built Fort d'Aumale on the north bank of the estuary in 1843, and a Catholic mission was established a year later. In 1849, a settlement of former slaves from the ship Elizia and a group of Pongoue villages was named Libreville. 1850, the French left the fort and moved to the high ground, now the administrative and economic area. Between 1860 and 1874, Libreville was the capital of French Equatorial Africa from 1888 to 1904, and the British, Germans, and Americans established businesses there. Libreville is well industrialized and the educational center of Gabon, although it is second only to Port-Gentil as a port and economic center. It houses Omar Bongo University, a library, and research institutes in tropical agriculture, geology, mining, and forestry. The community is also served by a modern hospital, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, and a mosque. The city is home to the shipbuilding, beer brewing, and sawmill industries.