Gab-On the Equator Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

Gabon was part of the territory of French Equatorial Africa along with Middle Congo (Republic of the Congo), Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (Central African Republic). Of these, it was the last to declare independence from France who relinquished its claim in 1959.

As a result, French is the only official language of Gabon, a language that is taught in all schools and is used in the local economy.

Answer: Republic of the Congo

The Ogooué is around 1200 kilometers long and originates in neighboring Republic of the Congo. It is fed by tributaries, especially the Ivindo River, and grows in volume before emptying into the south Atlantic Ocean. It is considered an easy river to navigate and one can go up into the equatorial rainforests through this river.

In it can be found all three of the crocodile species along with much other diverse wildlife.

Answer: Paul du Chaillu

It is not really known where Paul du Chaillu was actually born (perhaps the USA, perhaps France, perhaps even Réunion); however, it is well documented that he died of a stroke in St. Petersburg in Russia in 1903. He was well known for exploring equatorial Africa, especially the area around Gabon. He also claimed to have been the first white man to encounter gorillas in the wild and indeed brought back specimens, both alive and dead, for examination.

Mont Iboundji is located in the south-central part of Gabon and is part of the Chaillu Massif. These are massive granite mountains and they form the divide between the Ogooué basin and the Ngounié basin.

Answer: Omar Bongo

El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba succeeded Léon M'ba, the first to hold the office of President of Gabon. Though he was deemed as a democratically-elected leader, in actuality, for much of his tenure he made Gabon a one-party country. The Parti Democratique Gabonais was the sole party from 1968 until 1993 and Omar Bongo was at its head.

Many times there was unrest in Gabon because of Omar Bongo's hold on the power, however, all elections were ratified and democratic. His critic claimed he wanted to rule for life, which he did. When he passed away and his son succeeded him as President, the critics' claim was that it was too much like an aristocracy.

Omar Bongo ensured that Gabon and France would have good relations. In fact, the relationship was almost too good; while Bongo was off winning French support and approval, he let things deteriorate at home. Gabon had one of the highest infant mortality rates in Africa and hardly any infrastructure was built during his tenure. However, his own personal finances grew immensely, something that led to allegations of corruption and personal extravagance.

Answer: Oil

Gabon invested heavily in offshore oil drilling which helped its economy greatly until the drop in the price of a barrel of oil in the latter part of the 1980s. Nevertheless, oil has remained a strong and integral part of the Gabonaise economy. Gabon was a member of OPEC for twenty years because of this, however, their production dropped off and their membership was revoked.

Gabon also exports iron, manganese and several equatorial agricultural crops such as cocoa, sugar and coffee. Gabon ran some uranium mines as well, but these were shut down in 2001 due to competition from other countries and Gabon's lack of efficiency in mining the uranium ore.

Answer: Fang

"M'bolo"! Fang is the native language of about a third of Gabon's population. In fact, the large majority of Gabonaise are of Bantu origin and Fang is the language of the Fang (or Fan) people. These tribes inhabit equatorial Africa from Cameroon to the Republic of the Congo. These are the largest and most widespread of the Beti-Pahuin tribes, and they are found in Gabon (and Equatorial Guinea) in the highest concentration.

There are dozens of other African languages and dialects spoken throughout Gabon, however, French is the only language taught in schools and used in business.

Answer: Stalactites and Stalagmites

Karst topography means that rock, usually limestone or dolostone, is dissolved in rainwater and then carried through the ground until it is deposited. Over time, cavities can form under the ground resulting in a cave or a series of caverns. When more limestone is dissolved by a rain droplet and the carbonic acid reaches one of these empty spaces, the drop usually stays as a droplet along the roof of the cave. Usually, the water will evaporate and will leave behind the calcium carbonate residue. Years and years of the same happening at the same place will result in a stalactite will form and grow downward. If the water droplet detaches from the ceiling of the cavern and deposits the calcium carbonate on the floor, a stalagmite will begin to grow upward. Some stalagmites and stalactites meet and form majestic pillars, and some pillars can grow large enough to form walls inside the cavern.

Gabon has three karst regions and hundreds of caves, many of which have not been explored. A National Geographic-funded expedition in 2008 found underground waterfalls, 7000 year-old tools, and a new species of frog.

Answer: Freed slaves off of a Brazilian ship

Libreville is the capital of Gabon and means "Freetown", similar to the capital of Sierra Leone. It was founded by prisoners that were freed off of a captured Brazilian slave ship, the L'Eliza. The ship they were on was emancipated by the French navy and the prisoners were let off at the mouth of the Komo river.

At the time when Gabon declared independence, Libreville had only 32,000 inhabitants but has grown much since then.

Answer: Bight of Bonny

The Bight of Bonny (formerly, the Bight of Biafra) extends from Nigeria in the north to Gabon's Cape Lopez. This body of water, along with the Bight of Benin, was made a British protectorate between the years of 1849 and 1960 when Nigeria gained independence and Britain relinquished its hold on the waters.

Cape Lopez is located in the middle of the western coastline of Gabon. The city of Port-Gentil is located there; this is the second-largest city in Gabon and an important seaport through which much of Gabon's exporting occurs, though it's not a deep-water port.

Answer: Booué

Located on the river Ogooué, Booué was founded in 1883. The river was the primary means of getting to the town before a railway was laid down. An airport and an access road (the R14) from the main highway were also put in place to make access easier. It is located at latitude 0.1 degrees south, practically on the equator.

The town was founded by Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza, yes, a mouthful of a name. The capital of the Republic of the Congo - Brazzaville - is named for the French-Italian pioneer of the region. In 1996, a severe epidemic of Ebola quarantined the town for several months and 60 cases were documented of which 45 passed away.