Libreville

Capital and chief port of Gabon, on the northern shore of the Gabon River estuary; population (2002 est) 467,000 (city), 541,000 (urban area). Products include timber, rubber, cacao, palm-oil, cement, and minerals (including uranium and manganese). Libreville was founded in 1849 as a refuge for slaves freed by the French. The city developed rapidly from the 1970s due to the oil trade.

It was capital of French Equatorial Guinea 1888–1904. There is a cathedral, the Sainte-Exupéry French Cultural Centre, and a university (1976).