The nation of Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic (République gabonaise in French), straddles the Equator on the west coast of Africa, with about 800 km (500 mi) of coastline facing on the Atlantic. The country was organized as a French colony around 1885 and from 1910 to 1959 it was part of the consolidated colony known as French Equatorial Africa. Gabon became independent in 1960. South of Cape Lopez the coast of Gabon faces southwest on the South Atlantic Ocean; north of the cape the coast faces northwest on the Gulf of Guinea. In the north of the country the Gabon Estuary, formed by the Komo and Ebe Rivers, provides a sheltered harbor for the capital, Libreville. Port-Gentil, in the lee of Cape Lopez, is the country's second international port. Gabon is divided into nine provinces. French is the official language of Gabon. The French word for a lighthouse is phare, although a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light") or a balise (beacon). In French île is an island, cap is a cape, pointe is a promontory or point of land, roche is a rock, récife is a reef, baie is a bay, estuaire is an estuary or inlet, détroit is a strait, rivière is a river, and havre is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Gabon are maintained by the Service National de la Signalisation Maritime. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Equatorial Guinea | South: Republic of the Congo | West: São Tomé and Principe
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Posted September 15, 2005. Checked and revised April 20, 2025. Lighthouses: 12. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.