Gabon, officially Gabonese Republic (in French, République Gabonaise), independent nation in central Africa, located astride the Equator, and bounded on the north-west by Equatorial Guinea, on the north by Cameroon, on the east and south by the Republic of Congo, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. A former French colony, Gabon achieved independence on August 17, 1960. The area of Gabon is 267,667 sq km (103,347 sq mi). The capital of the country is Libreville.