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