Gamba, Gabon
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Gamba ( Lumbu: ''N´gamb'') is a small town in
Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
lying on the southern bay of the
Ndogo Lagoon The Ndogo Lagoon is located in the southwestern part of Gabon. Setté Cama and Gamba are two known places that lie on its banks. The Ndogo Lagoon has about 350 islands. Sport fishing is popular in the area, and close to the mouth of the lagoon are ...
.


History

Historically, the area was populated by gatherer-hunter-fishermen autochthons scattered in small villages around the
Ndogo Lagoon The Ndogo Lagoon is located in the southwestern part of Gabon. Setté Cama and Gamba are two known places that lie on its banks. The Ndogo Lagoon has about 350 islands. Sport fishing is popular in the area, and close to the mouth of the lagoon are ...
and the Yenzi Lake. With the discovery in 1967 of a major oil field by
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
in the area, the town boomed and immigration of workers from various other parts of the country resulted in the population today of over 10000 people. Though production from the Gamba field is now only a fraction of what it once was, Gamba remains an important and strategic oil hub, being one of only two
oil terminal An oil terminal (also called a tank farm, tankfarm, oil installation or oil depot) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, and from which these Petroleum product, products are transported to end u ...
s in Gabon (the other one being
Cape Lopez Cape Lopez () is a headland on the coast of Gabon, west central Africa. The westernmost point of Gabon, it separates the Gulf of Guinea from the South Atlantic Ocean. Cape Lopez is the northernmost point of a low, wooded island between two mouths ...
).


Population

Most people live in the heart of the town, divided into five blocks called “Plaines”, while most senior Shell staff live in Yenzi, half a dozen miles away from the heart of the city near the
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
and the oil terminal. The Balumbu people are known to be the autochthons of the region, even though the Punu and
Fang people The Fang people, also known as Fãn or Pahouin, are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, and southern Cameroon.Vili, probably because of the foggy weather during the dry season.


Economy

Gamba attracts many tourists from all over the world because of its remarkable biodiversity, and the proximity of
Sette Cama Sette may refer to: People *Alessandro Sette, Italian immunologist *Giancarlo Sette, Italian astronomer, namesake of the asteroid 8885 Sette *Oscar Elton Sette (1900–1972), American fisheries scientist *Sérgio Sette Câmara (b. 1998), Brazilia ...
and the
Loango National Park Loango National Park (French: ''Parc national de Loango'') is a national park in western Gabon. It protects diverse coastal habitats including part of the Iguéla Lagoon, the only significant example of a typical western African lagoon system th ...
. As a result of all that activity, life in Gamba is very expensive, and the ongoing economic crisis makes things more difficult for residents.


Education

Schools include: * École Yenzi-Shell-Gabon (now closed)École Yenzi-Shell-Gabon
"
AEFE The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (; AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (France), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France that assures the qualit ...
. Retrieved on May 3, 2015.


References

{{Authority control Populated places in Ogooué-Maritime Province Ports and harbours of Gabon