According to petwithsupplies, Gabon is a Central African nation with a population of approximately 2 million people, spread across a land area of 267,667 km². The capital and largest city is Libreville, located on the Atlantic coast. With a population of over 775,000 people, it is the most populous city in Gabon and one of the largest cities in Central Africa. Other major cities in Gabon include Port Gentil, Franceville, Oyem and Lambaréné. Port Gentil is the second-largest city in Gabon with a population of around 160,000. It is an important port city located on the Ogooué River estuary and serves as an important economic hub for oil production and exportation. Franceville is located in southeastern Gabon near the border with Congo-Brazzaville and has a population of around 50,000 people. It is home to several international companies that have operations in Gabon and serves as an important financial centre for the country’s economy. Oyem lies close to the northern border with Cameroon and has a population of around 45,000 people. It serves as an important agricultural hub for the region with its fertile soils producing crops such as cassava and maize which are then exported throughout Africa. Finally, Lambaréné lies further inland from Libreville along the Ogooué River and has a population of around 30,000 people. It serves as an important medical centre for Gabon due to its proximity to many rural villages throughout the country where access to healthcare can be limited or non-existent. Gabon is a Central African nation that has long been an important player on the international stage. In 2008, it held the rotating presidency of both the G8 and G20 summits and hosted several major international events such as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. This enabled Gabon to gain a position of power on the international stage. At this time, Gabon had close ties with France, its former colonial power, which was actively involved in numerous peacekeeping operations around the world and had been involved in many international crises such as those involving Iraq and Afghanistan. This enabled Gabon to benefit from French diplomatic support when necessary. Gabon also had strong relations with other countries in Central Africa such as Congo-Brazzaville and Cameroon, which it shared borders with. There were also strong ties between Gabon and its neighbours in West Africa such as Nigeria and Ghana, with whom it was a member of several regional organisations including the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Organisation for African Unity (OAU). In terms of foreign policy, Gabon was committed to upholding human rights principles both domestically and internationally. It was also actively involved in peacekeeping operations across Africa through its participation in United Nations missions such as MONUC (now MONUSCO) in Congo-Kinshasa. Overall, 2008 marked an important period for Gabon’s geopolitics due to its involvement in numerous international events and organisations as well as its commitment to upholding human rights principles both domestically and abroad. Check eningbo for Gabon in 2012.