Gabon is located on the west coast of central Africa, and is bordered by Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. As a former French colony, its population of 1.5 million inhabitants speak French and Bantu-group languages and the majority are Christians.
As an oil-producing country, Gabon is one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa but due to income inequality, a large portion of its population remains in poverty. Other natural resources include magnesium, iron, gold, uranium, and forests.
Gabon is making strenuous efforts to preserve their natural riches. In 2002, President Omar Bongo Ondimba classified about 10% of the nation’s territory to be part of its national park system (with 13 parks in total), one of the largest proportions of nature parkland in the world. Its wildlife includes forest elephants, buffalo, various antelope and monkey species, sitatungas, leopards, three species of crocodiles, chimpanzees and gorillas, and several marine turtle species which nest along the coast.