The Gabonese Republic is a multi-party Republic situated on the west coast of Central Africa. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Guinea, to the northwest by Equatorial Guinea, to the north by Cameroon, and to the south and east by the Republic of Congo. Its capital is Libreville. In 1958, the Republic was proclaimed. Its economy is based on having large quantities of oil and the resultant private investment. These two factors have made Gabon one of the most prosperous countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, like many other African countries, and others around the world, corruption has ensured that the riches are in the hands of a very small percentage, so that most of the population lives below the breadline.

Gabon issued its first stamps from 1886-1889, then formed part of French Congo (1889-1904) when it again became a separate colony with its own stamps. Only in 1910, did the stamps have designs specific to Gabon, for example a Fang woman, a Fang warrior, and views of Libreville. The first issues of the Republic came on the 1^st anniversary of the Republic on 28 November 1959. It was only after 1970, that the stamp issues were aimed to appeal to stamp collectors from America and Europe.