A country of west-central Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. Previously inhabited by Pygmy and then Bantu-speaking peoples, the region was visited by the Portuguese in 1472 and settled by the French in 1841. It became part of French Equatorial Africa in 1910 and achieved independence in 1960. Libreville is the capital and the largest city. Population: 1,450,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
