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50 free Gabon trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Gabon trivia quiz covers the equatorial oil state on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa: how Portuguese sailors named it after a cloak, the freed slaves who founded Libreville, de Brazza's missions, independence in 1960, four presidents in 65 years including 42 of Omar Bongo, and the 2023 coup that ended his family's rule. It also visits Gabon's astonishing nature, from Loango's surfing hippos and Minkébé's forest elephants to the two-billion-year-old natural nuclear reactor at Oklo, and its people, from Albert Schweitzer to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The first questions suit anyone who has heard of the Bongos; the last ones test people who know which railway hauls the manganese and what colour sits between green and blue on the flag. Every question is multiple choice with a short explanation after you answer. Every answer has been checked against a primary source, and each question links to the page that confirms it.
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Q 01What is the capital and largest city of Gabon?
Libreville
The name means 'Freetown': fifty-two freed slaves from a captured Brazilian ship were resettled there in 1849.
Q 02The name Gabon derives from a Portuguese word meaning what?
Hooded cloak
Navigators in the 1470s thought the outline of the Komo estuary resembled a gabão.
Q 03Gabon gained independence from which colonial power on 17 August 1960?
France
It had been an autonomous republic within the French Community since November 1958.
Q 04How many presidents has Gabon had since independence in 1960?
Four
Léon M'ba, Omar Bongo, Ali Bongo and, after the 2023 coup, Brice Oligui Nguema.
Q 05Omar Bongo, president from 1967 to 2009, held what distinction after Fidel Castro stepped down in 2008?
World's longest-ruling non-royal leader
Born Albert-Bernard Bongo, he stabilised his rule through the Françafrique client network.
Q 06The 2023 coup that removed Ali Bongo was led by Brice Oligui Nguema, who is his what?
Cousin
It came hours after Bongo was declared winner of a third term on 30 August 2023.
Q 07Roughly what share of Gabon's land is forested?
89%
In 2021 it became the first African country paid for reducing deforestation and emissions.
Q 08In 2002 Omar Bongo set aside about 10% of Gabon's territory as how many national parks?
13
The National Agency for National Parks (ANPN), created in 2007, runs the system.
Q 09Gabon's 'Africa's Last Eden' park is famous for photographs of which animals on its beaches?
Surfing hippos
The naturalist Mike Fay called Loango 'Africa's Last Eden'.
Q 10The Oklo site in Gabon is known for what unique geological phenomenon?
A nuclear fission reactor formed by nature
It ran roughly two billion years ago and was found in 1972 when mined uranium had too little U-235.
Q 11The Oklo natural reactor was discovered in the 1970s during mining for what?
Uranium
The ore was destined for France's nuclear power industry.
Q 12Albert Schweitzer's famous hospital, founded in 1913, stands in which Gabonese town?
Lambaréné
The Alsatian doctor, organist and philosopher won the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize.
Q 13In 2023 Gabon was the world's No. 2 producer of which ore, vital for steel and batteries?
Manganese
USGS figures for 2023 put Gabon behind only South Africa; it ships from the Moanda mine down the Trans-Gabon Railway to the port of Owendo.
Q 21Gabon holds more than half the world's population of which animal?
African forest elephant
Many live in Minkébé National Park; the country also shelters tens of thousands of gorillas and chimpanzees.
Q 22The freed slaves resettled at the future capital's site in 1849 came from a captured slave ship of which nationality?
Brazilian
The French navy seized L'Elizia near Loango in 1846 while helping the British blockade of Africa.
Q 23Gabon's population of about 2.3 million lives in an area of roughly what size?
270,000 km²
It has one of the lowest population densities in Africa.
Q 14Gabon lies on which line of latitude?
The Equator
It stretches from 3°N to 4°S on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.
Q 15Which is NOT one of Gabon's land neighbours?
Nigeria
It also shares a maritime border with São Tomé and Príncipe.
Q 16Gabon's flag is a horizontal tricolour of green, blue and which colour in the middle?
Yellow
The central stripe was widened when the French Tricolour was removed from the design.
Q 17Gabon joined which international association in June 2022, only to be partially suspended after the coup?
Commonwealth of Nations
It followed Rwanda, Mozambique and Togo as members with no British colonial past.
Q 18Who was Gabon's first president, elected in 1961?
Léon M'ba
French paratroopers restored him within 24 hours of a 1964 army coup; he died in office in 1967.
Q 19When an army coup tried to oust Léon M'ba in 1964, who restored him to power within 24 hours?
French paratroopers
The coup had aimed to restore parliamentary democracy after M'ba imposed one-party rule.
Q 20Which explorer led his first mission to the Gabon-Congo area in 1875 and founded Franceville?
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza
The Italian-born Frenchman became colonial governor and gave his name to Congo's capital.
Q 24Bantu ethnic groups such as the Fang, Myènè and Punu make up roughly what share of Gabon's population?
95%
There are at least 40 ethnic groups; the prehistoric hunter-gatherers were the Bambenga.
Q 25In which year did Ali Bongo first win the presidency, without his father Omar on the ballot?
2009
There were 18 candidates and a three-week Constitutional Court review.
Q 26Gabon's national football team is best known for which striker, a former Arsenal captain?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
He scored 141 goals for Borussia Dortmund before a then-record £56 million move to Arsenal in 2018.
Q 27Gabon co-hosted the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and was sole host of which later edition?
2017
The 2012 tournament was shared with Equatorial Guinea.
Q 28Anthony Obame won Gabon's first Olympic medal, a silver at London 2012, in which sport?
Taekwondo
He competed in the men's 80+ kg category and returned to the Games in 2016 and 2020.
Q 29In which year was the 648 km Trans-Gabon Railway from Owendo completed?
1986
Construction began in 1974 and the line was completed in December 1986; manganese dominates its freight.
Q 30Ivindo National Park, a UNESCO site since 2021, is most famous for which waterfalls?
Kongou and Mingouli
The park also holds Langoué Baï, one of Central Africa's five most important forest clearings.