Geography of Gabon

Gabon is a country in Central Africa, lying along the Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Bight of Biafra.

Geography of Gabon
République Gabonaise


ContinentAfrica
Coordinates1°00′N 11°45′E
AreaRanked 77th
 • Total267,667 km2 (103,347 sq mi)
 • Land96.3%
 • Water3.7%
Coastline885 km (550 mi)
Highest pointMont Bengoué, 1070 m (not Mont Iboundji as claimed by some authorities)
Lowest pointAtlantic Ocean, 0 m
Longest riverOgooué River
ClimateTropical monsoon ('Am'), Tropical savanna ('Aw'); always hot, humid
Terrainnarrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Natural ResourcesPetroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
Environmental Issuesdeforestation, poaching
Gabon map of Köppen climate classification.
Satellite image of Gabon

Borders

Gabon has a total of 3,261 km of international boundaries. It borders Equatorial Guinea (335 km) and Cameroon (349 km) to the north and the Republic of the Congo (2,567 km) to the east and south. Gabon lies on the equator.

Maritime claims
  • Territorial sea: 12 nmi (22 km)
  • Contiguous zone: 24 nmi (44 km)
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370 km)

Climate

Gabon has the moist, hot climate typical of tropical regions. The hottest month is January, with an average high at Libreville of 31 °C and an average low of 23 °C. Average July temperatures in the capital range between 20 and 28 °C. From June to September there is virtually no rain but high humidity; there is occasional rain in December and January. During the remaining months, rainfall is heavy. The excessive rainfall is caused by the condensation of moist air resulting from the meeting, directly off the coast, of the cold Benguela Current from the south and the warm Guinea Current from the north. At Libreville, the average annual rainfall is more than 2540 mm. Farther north on the coast, it is 3810 mm.

Terrain
Land Use (2012)
• Arable land 1.26%
• Permanent crops 0.66%
• Other 98.08%

Narrow coastal plain with patches of Central African mangroves; hilly interior; savanna in east and south.

  • Irrigated land: 44.5 km2 (2003)
  • Total renewable water resources: 164 km3 (2011)

Environment

International agreements:

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Extreme points
  • Northernmost point - unnamed location on the border with Cameroon on the Ntem River, Woleu-Ntem province
  • Easternmost point - the unnamed location on the border with the Republic of Congo immediately south-west of the Congolese village of Mbeyi-Mbola, Haut-Ogooué province
  • Southernmost point - the point at which the border with the Republic of Congo enters the Atlantic Ocean, Nyanga Province
  • Westernmost point - the north-west point of Cape Lopez, Ogooué Maritime province
Topography of Gabon

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html.

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