Gamba

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For the musical instrument, see viola da gamba

Historically, Gamba was a port lying on the Ndogo Lagoon that grew up to today’s small town in the southwestern part of Gabon. With a population of about 8000 people, Gamba remains one of the major oil hubs of Gabon. The town grew around Shell oil fields. For that reason, many residents are engineers and professionals.

Most people live in the heart of the town, divided into five blocks called “Plaines”, while most Shell engineers and foreigners live half a dozen miles away from the heart of the city, near the airport and the oil terminal.

Balumbu people are the major autochthons of the region, even tough many other large ethnic groups are also present. The name Gamba stands for fog in Vili, probably because of the foggy weather during the dry season.

Gamba attracts many tourists from all over the world because of its remarkable biodiversity. As a result of all that activity, life in Gamba is very expensive, and the ongoing economic crisis makes things more difficult for residents.