James Baquet The Gabonese Republic, familiarly known as Gabon, is one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s most prosperous countries. This results partially from its relatively small population (147th out of 196 in the world, with a population density set at 234th out of 255) and the wealth generated by abundant petroleum, as well as private investment from foreign sources. Thus, it has the fourth-highest Human Development Index and the fourth-highest GDP in the region, and its GDP continues to grow. However, these figures can be somewhat misleading, as there is a considerable amount of inequality in the distribution of income; thus, there is still a significant population living in poverty. Gabon is found on the Gulf of Guinea on Africa’s West Coast, with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and the Republic of the Congo wrapping around its east and south sides. It shares its name with the Gabon River; the estuary of the river is shaped somewhat like a cloak, for which the Portuguese word is gabao, the origin of “Gabon.” The capital and largest city, Libreville, was named to emulate Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone; “Libreville” is simply French for “Freetown.” The people of Gabon come from at least 40 different ethnic groups, including the Fang, Punu, Nzebi, and Mpongwe; but except for the Baka (a relatively small group) all the ethnic groups are Bantu-speaking. About 80 percent of the population speaks French, the official language, which is a holdover from the colonial days. Once a territory of French Equatorial Africa (along with what are now Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo), Gabon attained independence along with the others in 1960. A new constitution began to be promulgated in 1991; in 2009, a new modernization program began, called “Gabon Emergent.” It is based on three self-explanatory “pillars”: Green Gabon, Service Gabon, and Industrial Gabon. The intention is diversification of the economy, reducing the reliance on income from petroleum, elimination of corruption and modernization of the workforce. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. loose outer garment, cape 2. bringing variety to something 3. disparity 4. coming out, developing 5. dependence 6. imitate, copy 7. confusing, easily misunderstood 8. part of a river where it meets the sea 9. not needing any explanation 10. promoted, brought out | 