Libreville (pop. 703,940) is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Libreville lies in western Gabon on the north shore of the Gabon River, as the river flows into the Gulf of Guinea.
Libreville is Gabon’s economic center. The city is a major port, and its chief exports include lumber and manganese. Libreville’s industries include fishing and the processing of paper pulp and wood. The city is Gabon’s political center and houses many government buildings. The city’s commercial downtown area features modern high-rise buildings that contrast with villas built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
European trading ships began visiting the Libreville area in the 1500’s. In the 1840’s, French colonists built a fort and a Roman Catholic mission. In 1849, French authorities settled a group of freed slaves near the fort and called the settlement Libreville, meaning free town. Libreville later became a French administrative capital for Gabon and other nearby territories, including what is now the Republic of the Congo. In 1904, Brazzaville became the main regional capital, but Libreville remained a subordinate capital for Gabon.
