65 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
65 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
The **Gabonese Republic** is a liberal and capitalist state in Central
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Africa near [Equatorial Guinea](Equatorial_Guinea "wikilink"), [Sao Tome
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and Principe](Sao_Tome_and_Principe "wikilink"),
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[Cameroon](Cameroon "wikilink") and the [Republic of the
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Congo](Republic_of_the_Congo "wikilink").
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## History
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### Pre-Colonial History
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Unfortunately, little is known about Gabon before European colonialism
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except that it was settled in the 1300s by [Bantu
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peoples](Bantu_Peoples "wikilink"), little is known of life then, but
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tribal art suggests a rich cultural heritage.
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### First Contact
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The [first contact](First_Contact_\(Concept\) "wikilink") made between
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Europeans and the Gabonese were explorers of the [Portuguese
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Empire](Portuguese_Empire "wikilink") who colonised [São Tomé and
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Príncipe](Sao_Tome_and_Principe "wikilink") in the late 1400s. Gabon
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was used as a centre of entry for the [slave
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trade](Atlantic_Slave_Trade "wikilink") and some colonisers established
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themselves ass rulers of some small islands and points on the coast, but
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nothing really came of it. Dutch, English, and French traders came in
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the 1500s.
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### French Colony
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In 1839, Gabon was colonised by the [French
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Empire](French_Empire "wikilink"). In 1842
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[American](United_States_of_America "wikilink") missionaries from New
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England established a mission at the mouth of the Komo River in 1842. In
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1849, the French authorities captured an illegal slave ship and freed
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the captives on board. The captives were released near the mission
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station, where they founded a settlement which was
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called Libreville (French for "free town"). It operated as a fairly
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standard colony, with a white French minority controlling most of the
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wealth and it largely being used to extract natural resource and cheap
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laborers for overseas markets.
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### Independence
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Gabon was [decolonised](Decolonisation "wikilink") in 1960 and became a
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[representative democracy](Representative_Democracy "wikilink") with two
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main political parties, one representing [social
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democracy](Social_Democracy "wikilink") and one representing centrist
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liberalism. This soon ended after a military coup in 1964 followed by
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[French military intervention](Francafrique "wikilink"), by the
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democracy was unstable, eventually becoming a one-party
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state/dictatorship in 1968 and attempted to forge a unified national
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identity as opposed to more decentralised tribal relationships.
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[In 1990 a wave of uprisings and
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strikes](Gabon_Uprising_\(1990\) "wikilink") by students and workers led
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to massive wage increases, creation of a representative democracy,
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introduction of freedom of assembly and press. Two coups were averted
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and the government became relatively stable, becoming one of the
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healthiest and wealthiest states in Africa. However, recently the
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country has suffered from a military coup and a fair bit of corruption.
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## References
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[Gabon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon) on
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[Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") |