about gabon

official name: Gabonese Republic
capital: Libreville
head of state: President El Hadj Omar Bongo
state: multi party democracy
population: 1,424,906 
independence: from France in 1960
languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
religion: Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)
media: NA

legal wise

status of homosexuality: legal
age of consent: 15 (heterosexual) 21 (homosexual male and female))
laws covering homosexual activity: Homosexual conduct not mentioned in criminal law as being offence. Gabon has no sodomy law.

background information and government attitudes: Here is a provision from the penal code of Gabon, setting unequal ages of consent for hetero- and homosexual sex. The law came into force in 1969 (there was no specific mention of homosexual sex before that date) and may still be in force. Note, however, that I’ve dated it 1969-94, given that the last official publication I have is from 1994.

Penal Code 1969-94
Article 258: Whoever commits an indecent assault, real or attempted without violence, on a child of either sex under 15, shall be punished with imprisonment of 3 to 6 years. Whoever has perpetrated an act of gross indecency or an act against nature on an individual of his or her own sex under 21 shall be punished with imprisonment of 1 to 3 years.

(David John Frank, Associate Professor, Harvard University - February 2002) Source ILGA

communication

Main lines in use: 39,100 (2005)
Cellular telephones: 649,800 (2005)
Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001)
Internet hosts: 322 (2006)
Internet users: 67,000 (2005)