Franceville, Mpassa, Haut-Ogooue, Gabon

🇬🇦 Franceville is one of the four largest cities in Gabon. It lies on the Mpassa River and at the end of the Trans-Gabon Railway and the N3 road. It grew from a village named Masuku.

Overview Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza chose the village of Masuku to resettle former slaves and renamed it Francheville (meaning "city of the freed") in 1880. This name later was modified to Franceville, after the country’s former ruler (meaning "city of France").

Features of the town include St Hilaire's Church (built in 1899), a large statue of President Omar Bongo (who was born in Franceville), a primate medical research institute, and a golf course. Its airport is 20 km (12 mi) west, in Mvengué. Bongo was buried in Franceville on June 18, 2009.

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 Central African rock python, monkey and local species of animals.

There are a few hotels, of which the best known is the Hôtel Poubara, overlooking the president's holiday home.

Franceville also has many waterfalls. One of the best known is the Poubara Falls, which is co-located with a hydroelectric plant that provides the area with constant electricity.

Population The population was 31,183 in 1993. The 2010 population was approximated at 56,000. Another population number is 42,967, possibly retrieved following the disputed census of 2003 (alternately a 2004 estimate). Another recent estimate gives the population as 75,000.

Education Franceville is home to the University of Science and Technology of Masuku (USTM), Gabon's hard sciences university, with the other subjects being taught in Libreville. It welcomes students from all African countries. It is home to the Canadian-sponsored Polytechnic and Faculty of Science and the National Higher Institute of Agronomy and Biotechnology, which trains agricultural engineers. The city is also home to a doctoral school in the 2nd arrondissement. Schools include École publique conventionnée de Franceville.