richest countries in Africa, thanks to its
large petroleum (oil) deposits. Gabon’s
capital and largest city is Libreville.
Geography
Gabon lies along the equator on Africa’s
west coast. It is bordered by Equatorial
Guinea, Cameroon, the Republic of the
Congo, and the Atlantic Ocean. A lowlying
plain along the coast rises to plateaus
and mountains in the interior. The
Ogooue River flows through the center
of Gabon. The weather is hot and
humid.
Plants and Animals
Dense rain forests cover much of
Gabon. Its wild animals include antelope,
monkeys, gorillas, and elephants.
People
There are more than 40 ethnic groups in
Gabon. The Fang people form the largest
group. Small groups of Pygmies live
in the rain forests. The people of Gabon
speak many different Bantu languages,
but French is the official language. The
majority of the population is Christian.
Economy
Gabon’s economy is based on its natural
resources, especially petroleum. Gabon
also produces wood products and the
metal manganese. Most farmers grow
enough to feed only their families.
Crops include plantains and sugarcane.
History
Pygmies and Bantu-speaking peoples
lived in Gabon when Portuguese explorers
arrived in 1472. The Portuguese and
other Europeans used the coast for the
slave trade. In 1849 France established
Libreville (meaning “free town”) as a
settlement for freed slaves. In 1886
Gabon became a French colony. Gabon
gained independence in 1960.
..More to explore
Libreville • Petroleum
Gabon has created a number of parks and
reserves to protect its rain forests.
Facts About
GABON
Population
(2008 estimate)
1,486,000
Area
103,347 sq mi
(267,667 sq km)
Capital
Libreville
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Libreville, Port-
Gentil,
Franceville,
Oyem, Moanda
78 Gabon BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Gaborone
Population
(2004 estimate)
199,600
Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, a
country in southern Africa. It is the largest
city in Botswana. Gaborone is also
the country’s center of education, business,
and banking. The city’s economy is
based on services and trade. Several businesses
in Gaborone deal with diamonds.
Gaborone is a fairly new city. The British
built a fort near the city site in 1887.
At that time Great Britain controlled the
Botswana area. The area was then called
Bechuanaland. In 1964 a city was built
near the fort to be the new capital of
Bechuanaland. Bechuanaland became
the independent country of Botswana in
1966. Gaborone was its capital. The
city’s population grew rapidly in the late
20th century.
..More to explore
Botswana
Gadsden
Purchase
In 1853 the United States bought a large
piece of land from Mexico. That sale is
known as the Gadsden Purchase. It
moved the border between the two
countries south, to where it lies today.
The Gadsden Purchase is named for
James Gadsden, a U.S. businessman
who helped to bring about the purchase.
Background
At the end of the MexicanWar in 1848,
the United States took more than
525,000 square miles (1,360,000 square
kilometers) of land from Mexico. That
land later became the states of California,
Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.
The land also included the northern
parts of what are now Arizona and New
Mexico.
At that time, James Gadsden was president
of the South Carolina Railroad
Company. He wanted to create the first
transcontinental railroad—a railroad
across the entire continent. He believed
the best route for this new railroad was
through part of northern Mexico. U.S.
president Franklin Pierce agreed with
Gadsden’s idea. Pierce sent Gadsden to
Mexico to buy land for the railroad.
A worker’s hands sort rough diamonds in
Gaborone, Botswana. Diamonds are
Botswana’s most valuable product.
Completed in
1869, the first
transcontinental
railroad went
through the
Rocky Mountains,
not
across the
land Gadsden
had purchased.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Gadsden Purchase 79
The Purchase
Gadsden met with Mexico’s president,
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, in 1853.
Mexico badly needed money, so Santa
Anna agreed to sell the land that Gadsden
wanted. The United States paid 10
million dollars for almost 30,000 square
miles (78,000 square kilometers) of
land. The land would become the southern
parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
#More to explore
MexicanWar • Railroad
Galapagos
Islands
The Galapagos Islands are famous
because of the scientist Charles Darwin.
After studying the plants and animals on
the islands in the 1800s, Darwin developed
his theory of evolution. The theory
explains how living things change over
time. It changed the science of biology
forever. Darwin was not the first person
to see the Galapagos Islands, but they
were not a common destination before
his visit. They are so far from other land
that they are sometimes called “world’s
end.”
The Galapagos consist of 13 major
islands, 6 smaller islands, and many very
small islands called islets. They lie along
the equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean,
600 miles (1,000 kilometers) west of
Ecuador.
The Galapagos were formed by volcanoes.
Some of the volcanoes are still
active. The landscape includes many
mountains, craters, and cliffs. The
islands receive little rainfall, and temperatures
are fairly low.
