When Portuguese seafarers sailed down the west coast of Africa in 1472 heading south, they were struck by the unusual shape of the mouth of the river Como. They called the bay "Gabao" - the hooded cloak - and thus Gabon was christened.

Recent archaeological investigations have shown that there have been village settlements on Gabon soil for more than 2,500 years. It cannot be said for certain when the Bantu people first came to the region, as they did not have a literate culture. There is therefore very little concrete knowledge of the pre-colonial history of the country.

Gabon, whose territory is crossed by the equator, belonged to the French colony of Equatorial Africa from 1910. Until the 1950s the French colonialists exploited the rich natural resources of the country practically unhindered. Even after independence in 1960, economic relations with the European markets and the USA remained closer than those with African neighbors.

Since the end of the 1960s oil has been produced in Gabon, and it is among the largest worldwide suppliers of manganese. The country has rich iron ore and uranium deposits, and energy is readily obtainable from natural gas and hydroelectricity. With a gross domestic product growth rate of over five percent, Gabon is increasingly also an employer for workers from neighboring states. The economic boom has enabled substantial investment in the traffic infrastructure as well as the health and education sectors.

The education system follows the French model, and French is the official language. The neglect of the indigenous languages and Christianization have led to a loss of the native culture, which has led to increasing protests by the Gabonese.