Gabon is a former French colony that still retains strong ties to France and to the French language and culture. However, almost all Gabonese are of Bantu origin and the country has at least forty ethnic groups with different languages and cultures that interact with each other without conflicts (indeed, intermarriage is extremely common), carving their lives from the pristine rain forests. The Myene had first arrived in the area by the thirteenth century and settled as a fishing community along the coast. Europeans began to arrive at the end of the fifteenth century, participating in a slave trade that flourished for over three centuries. During this time, the Fang were migrating here from Cameroon. But the French, obtained control inland, and interfered with their migration, and stopped them in the northern regions. Because of its oil and mineral reserves, as well as foreign private investment, Gabon is one of Africa’s wealthier nations.