Libreville, estimated population 362,400 (1993), is the capital of Gabon. The city is a port on the Gabon River , near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. The city was founded (as Gabon) in 1843 as a trading station. Freed slaves were sent there, and in 1848 it was named Libreville (French for Freetown). It was the chief port of French Equatorial Africa from 1934 to 1946.

Gabon's school of administration and school of law are in Libreville. Libreville International Airport , the headquarters for Air Gabon, is nearby.