| "> | | | | therefore, there are international-class hotels, |
| A Peaceful Oasis on the African Mainland | | | | skyscrapers, shopping centers, historical buildings ( its |
| Did you know that the young Republic of Gabon, about | | | | palaces have been fantastically preserved! ), modern |
| the size of Colorado, can claim a Guinness World | | | | museums and, of course, traditional restaurants. Apart |
| Record in this century? Here, you'll find an entire | | | | from that, here you can buy the famous African |
| country with endless ecological wonders and virgin | | | | masks - it is known for its excellent crafts and their |
| environment. 83 percent of its national soil is covered | | | | music as well - and other things, from pottery and |
| by tropical rainforests. But there's more! Due to its | | | | fresh tropical fruit to natural medicines and regional |
| wise ecological policy, perhaps one of the world's best | | | | clothes. |
| environmental projects, Gabon -- the only | | | | A Paradise Lost |
| French-speaking country which has not had civil wars | | | | This rich-oil country is not a very big republic, about the |
| in the world -- boasts a host of wild animals, including | | | | size as the United Kingdom, but it has a much smaller |
| water birds, lowland gorillas, forest elephants and | | | | population, only 1.5 million; here the wild animals |
| hippos as well as whales and dolphins. Curiously, | | | | outnumbers the number of people. Indeed, it is one of |
| Gabon is one of the few nations in the world, where | | | | the last unspoiled African regions awaits. |
| you can see numerous hippos "going to the beach". | | | | The Gabonese Republic is one of the world's most |
| Today, the African nation, a patchwork of ethnic | | | | unknown republics, nonetheless it is home to the third/ |
| groups, boasts a UNESCO World Heritage Site: The | | | | fourth largest swathe of African rainforest ( after |
| Lopé-Okanda National Park ( also known as | | | | Congo's wilderness and Botswana's jungle ). Likewise, |
| the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of | | | | this region boasts a number of beautiful beaches and |
| Lopé-Okanda ). The property contains a vast | | | | lagoons, where there are plenty surprises. |
| diversity of species, including endangered wild animals. | | | | Since then, the Colorado-size land is proud of its rich |
| All these treasures make the country the perfect site | | | | ecology. Gabon's nature reserves have a documented |
| to practice eco-tourism and be, of course, in contact | | | | record number of species among mammals, exotic |
| with nature. Over the last years,Gabon, a resource-rich | | | | birds, fishes, reptiles, amphibians, snails, crustaceans, |
| republic, has been recognized by nature lovers as one | | | | insects, arachnids, and butterflies ( virtually impossible to |
| of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries on the Planet. | | | | quantify! ). But there are more " world records" : The |
| This rainforest nation - the Earth's eighty-third largest | | | | park lands are home to up to 80.000 African elephants, |
| country - lies in Western Africa and borders Congo, | | | | as well as over 35.000 gorillas, and 64.000 |
| Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Despite being one of | | | | chimpanzees, among other mammals. As such, Gabon |
| the world's most sparsely populated countries, Gabon | | | | is a "perfect living laboratory" for the study of the |
| gathers over 40 ethnic groups: Fang ( they make up | | | | wildlife/rainforest biodiversity on the African mainland. |
| some 23 % of the population ), Eshira, Bapounou, | | | | For a small nation, it gathers several national parks: 13 |
| Bateke, Bantu, Mbede, Okande, Bauti,and other groups. | | | | nature paradises! The country's most well-known |
| Present day Gabon was one of the four | | | | tropical parkland is the Loango National Park. Loango's |
| dependencies of French Equatorial Africa in the first | | | | land area is 32,000 km2, which is four times the size of |
| half of the 20th century. On August 17, 1960, it declared | | | | Connecticut or Northern Ireland. Contrary to most |
| its independence from Paris. From then onwards, the | | | | parks, this nature reserve boasts over 100 km2 of |
| country became one of the most modern and | | | | coastline with plenty of heavenly beaches, where |
| peaceful nations in the region. Gabon has largely | | | | there are a host of "special hosts" : elephants, apes, |
| escaped the civil strife that has plagued several black | | | | and buffaloes as well as leopards and mandrills. Most |
| African states. As such, it is a place of peace and | | | | of them go there to walk or even to find tropical fruits. |
| beauty; a country that hasn't had a conflict for four | | | | Even so, this site boasts another fabulous spectacle: |
| decades. | | | | Here you will be able to observe whales and dolphins! |
| The country is endowed with vast natural resources: | | | | Since then, Gabon boasts other tourist spots as well, |
| oil, manganese, uranium, and timber. Due to offshore oil | | | | like the Lopé-Okanda National Park, a pristine |
| exploitation - one of Sub-Saharan Africa' s biggest oil | | | | wilderness where there are over 4,000 lowland gorillas. |
| producers - it lies among most prosperous states on | | | | Aside from wild mammals, it contains evidence for |
| the continent. By the mid-1990s, Gabon was ranked | | | | settlement stretching over four centuries from the |
| 114th out of 170 nations in the UN' s Human | | | | Palaeolithic and Neolithic to the modern-day Gabon; it |
| Development Index. | | | | holds a number of petroglyphs. This amazing property, |
| Libreville - The Capital City | | | | a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, lies in the |
| Libreville, surrounded by wilderness, is one of the most | | | | heart of the country. Without a doubt, Gabon is the |
| modern metropolises in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as | | | | world's last Eden. Let's go to Africa! |
| the country's largest city. In this French-speaking city, | | | | |