Tchibanga
Encyclopedia
Tchibanga is a city in the Nyanga Province of southern Gabon
, situated on the Nyanga River
. It has an estimated population of 24,000 (2008). The town lies on the N6 road and is home to an airport
and a market
. It lies near the Ivela Falls.
Tchibanga is the capital of the Nyanga province. It is the last major city located on the road to Congo-Brazzaville
. Tchibanga is home to approximately 15,000 Gabonese people, but is also home to a sizable refugee population from Congo-Brazaville. The UNHCR runs an office there providing services for the refugees and locals. The majority of people living in Tchibanga, including most Congolese refugees, belong to the Bapounou
ethnic group.
Tchibanga sits on the banks of the Nyanga River
. It is located in Gabon's southern grassland
region and does not have the deep jungle
environment of many Gabonese cities. Tchibanga has a thriving commercial district, a hospital, two high schools, a post office, a large Catholic church, and an airport. A small power station and a fresh water spring provide electricity and running water to the center of town. President Omar Bongo
has a summer house in Tchibanga that he has never used. The Minister of the Interior also has a house there.
Tchibanga is accessible by a twelve hour bush taxi
ride from Libreville
or by plane; however, air service is very irregular, and the airport is usually closed. A local green and white taxi costs approximately 200 CFA franc
s.
Tchibanga has a number of restaurants serving both Western
and traditional food. Some restaurants serve bush meat, including snake
and antelope
in a traditional palm oil sauce called Nyengui. Tchibanga is known for having the best manioc (cassava
) in Gabon. Batons, or sticks of manioc wrapped in leaves, may be purchased for 100 Central African Francs at the market. A wide variety of other local produce is available at the market, including locally grown banana
s, peanut
s and hot peppers; the markets often sell bush meat, such as antelope and monkey. Tchibanga is also a good place to buy traditional woven goods, including mats and baskets.
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, situated on the Nyanga River
Nyanga River
The Nyanga River, 600km, is a river that runs through southern Gabon and northern Republic of the Congo. It is the second most important river in Gabon after the Ogooue.- Course :...
. It has an estimated population of 24,000 (2008). The town lies on the N6 road and is home to an airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
and a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. It lies near the Ivela Falls.
Tchibanga is the capital of the Nyanga province. It is the last major city located on the road to Congo-Brazzaville
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
. Tchibanga is home to approximately 15,000 Gabonese people, but is also home to a sizable refugee population from Congo-Brazaville. The UNHCR runs an office there providing services for the refugees and locals. The majority of people living in Tchibanga, including most Congolese refugees, belong to the Bapounou
Bapounou
The Punu, or Bapunu , are one of the four major peoples of Gabon, inhabiting interior mountain and grassland areas in the southwest of the country, around the upper N'Gounié and Nyanga Rivers. Bapunu also live in the Divenie, Kibangou, and Mossendjo districts of the Republic of the Congo...
ethnic group.
Tchibanga sits on the banks of the Nyanga River
Nyanga River
The Nyanga River, 600km, is a river that runs through southern Gabon and northern Republic of the Congo. It is the second most important river in Gabon after the Ogooue.- Course :...
. It is located in Gabon's southern grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
region and does not have the deep jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
environment of many Gabonese cities. Tchibanga has a thriving commercial district, a hospital, two high schools, a post office, a large Catholic church, and an airport. A small power station and a fresh water spring provide electricity and running water to the center of town. President Omar Bongo
Omar Bongo
El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba , born as Albert-Bernard Bongo, was a Gabonese politician who was President of Gabon for 42 years from 1967 until his death in office in 2009....
has a summer house in Tchibanga that he has never used. The Minister of the Interior also has a house there.
Tchibanga is accessible by a twelve hour bush taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
ride from Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
or by plane; however, air service is very irregular, and the airport is usually closed. A local green and white taxi costs approximately 200 CFA franc
CFA franc
The CFA franc is the name of two currencies used in Africa which are guaranteed by the French treasury. The two CFA franc currencies are the West African CFA franc and the Central African CFA franc...
s.
Tchibanga has a number of restaurants serving both Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and traditional food. Some restaurants serve bush meat, including snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
in a traditional palm oil sauce called Nyengui. Tchibanga is known for having the best manioc (cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
) in Gabon. Batons, or sticks of manioc wrapped in leaves, may be purchased for 100 Central African Francs at the market. A wide variety of other local produce is available at the market, including locally grown banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s and hot peppers; the markets often sell bush meat, such as antelope and monkey. Tchibanga is also a good place to buy traditional woven goods, including mats and baskets.