Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Gabon Estuary
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quizzes
water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
Related Questions
Read Next
World map. Continents. Oceans. Mendel thumb ok
Just How Many Oceans Are There?
Sailboat against a beautiful landscape
Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?
Big Sur. Pacific Ocean. Waves. Beach. Point Sur on the Pacific coastline near Big Sur, California.
What Is Known (and Not Known) About the Bermuda Triangle
Discover
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)

Gabon Estuary

estuary, Gabon
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gabon-Estuary
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
French:
Estuaire Du Gabon
See all related content

Gabon Estuary, inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in western Gabon. It is fed by the Como and Mbeï rivers, which rise in the Cristal Mountains to the northeast. The estuary is 40 miles (64 km) long and 9 miles (14 km) wide at its mouth. It was explored in the 1470s by Portuguese navigators who may have named it Gabão (“Hooded Cloak with Sleeves”; hence Gabon) because of its shape, and it was long considered the finest harbour of the West African coast.

The main port on the estuary, Libreville, became Gabon’s national capital and largest city. Logs are floated down the Como River to Owendo and Libreville on the estuary’s northwest shore, and hydroelectric power is provided to the locality by a dam at Kinguélé upstream on the Mbeï River.