Libreville, Gabon

Libreville, Gabon
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Libreville1.jpg
Author: Global Photographer


Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. It is located at the Gabon Estuary, at mouth of the Komo River, on the northwestern coast of the country. The city has a population of around 600,000 people (2012 estimate).

The Libreville area was the settlement of the Mpongwé tribe. In 1839, the French made it part of French Equatorial Africa. The town itself was founded in 1848 when a ship carrying a cargo of slaves was captured by the French navy. The slaves were freed and allowed to settle in the town, which the French then named Libreville, following the example of Freetown in Sierra Leone.

Libreville developed into the main trading center, port and administrative hub of French Equatorial Africa. With independence in 1960, it became the capital of Gabon.

Beach in Libreville
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beach_scene_Libreville_5.JPG
Author: Manuel Dohmen

Visiting Libreville

The Libreville Leon M'ba International Airport (LBV) receives flights from Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Bamako, Bata, Brazzaville, Casablanca, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Franceville, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Koulamoutou, Lomé, Luanda, Makokou, Malabo, Mayumba, Mouila, Nairobi, Ouagadougou, Oyem, Paris, Pointe-Noire, Port-Gentil, São Tomé, Tchibanga and Yaoundé.

Places of Interest in Libreville

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