Libreville, French for Freetown, is Gabon’s Capital and chief port.
The city is located on the northern shore of the Gabon River estuary.
Population: about 500.000 people.
The city was founded in 1843 as a trading station and as a refuge for slaves freed by the French.
From 1934 to 1946, Libreville has been the chief port of French Equatorial Africa and from 1888 to 1904 the capital of French Equatorial Guinea.
The city has an international airport, the headquarters for Air Gabon.
Gabon's school of administration and school of law, the Sainte-Exupéry French Cultural Centre, and a university (1976) are in Libreville.
From the 1970s the city developed very quickly, thanks to the oil trade.