Franceville or
Masuku is one of the four largest cities in
Gabon, with a population of around 22,000 people. It lies on the
River Mpassa and at the end of the
Trans-Gabon Railway and the
N3 road. It grew from a village named
Masuku when
Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza chose it to resettle former
slave and renamed it "Francheville" (meaning "city of the freed" in French) in 1880. The city later came to be called
Franceville.
Overview
Franceville was founded by Brazza as "Francheville" (meaning "city of the freed" in French) on June 13, 1880. As time went on, it became known as
Franceville.
Features of the town include
St Hilaire's Church (built in 1899), a large statue of President
Omar Bongo (who was born in Franceville), and a
primate medical research institute. The town also has a
golf course, while its
airport lies 20 km west in
Mvengué.
There is a market where numerous items can be purchased, including clothing, fruit and vegetables, electronics, meats, and the market also sells bushmeat, which includes
African Rock Python,
monkey and local species of animals.
The infrastructure of Franceville is overall of better quality than the rest of the country, most probably because of the city's significance.
There are a few of hotels of which the best known is the
Hotel Poubara, overlooking the president's holiday (vacation) home.
Franceville also has many waterfalls, of which one the...
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