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Ogooué River

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The Ogooué (or Ogowe), also known as the Nazareth River, some 1,200 km (750 mi) long, is the principal river of Gabon in west-central Africa and the fourth largest river in Africa by volume of discharge, trailing only the Congo, Kasai and Niger. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.[8]

Ogooué
The Ogooué watershed
Map
Location
CountryGabon, Republic of the Congo
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationKengue, Republic of the Congo
 • elevation840 m (2,760 ft)
MouthAtlantic Ocean
 • location
Port Gentil, Gabon
 • coordinates
1°01′38″S 8°53′05″E / 1.0272°S 8.8848°E / -1.0272; 8.8848
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length1,200 km (750 mi)[1]
Basin size223,856 km2 (86,431 sq mi)[1]
Discharge 
 • locationOgowe Delta, Atlantic Ocean, Gabon
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)5,147.75 m3/s (181,791 cu ft/s)[3] 4,795 m3/s (169,300 cu ft/s) to 186 km3/a (5,900 m3/s)[6]
 • minimum1,950 m3/s (69,000 cu ft/s)[7]
 • maximum7,340 m3/s (259,000 cu ft/s) (13,500 m3/s (480,000 cu ft/s)[7]
Discharge 
 • locationLambaréné, Gabon (183 km upstream of mouth; Basin size: 205,082.57 km2 (79,182.82 sq mi))
 • average(Period of data: 1999–2015)4,935.2 m3/s (174,280 cu ft/s)[2]

(Period of data: 1940–1999)4,750 m3/s (168,000 cu ft/s)[1]

(Period: 1971–2000)4,485.4 m3/s (158,400 cu ft/s)[3]
 • minimum1,610 m3/s (57,000 cu ft/s)[4]
 • maximum9,440 m3/s (333,000 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationNdjolé, Gabon (Basin size: 158,100 km2 (61,000 sq mi))
 • average(Period: 1971–2000)3,194.8 m3/s (112,820 cu ft/s)[3]
 • minimum1,200 m3/s (42,000 cu ft/s)[4]
 • maximum6,600 m3/s (230,000 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationLastoursville, Gabon (Basin size: 47,700 km2 (18,400 sq mi))
 • average1,304.6 m3/s (46,070 cu ft/s)[5]
 • minimum650 m3/s (23,000 cu ft/s)[4]
 • maximum2,800 m3/s (99,000 cu ft/s)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationFranceville, Gabon (Basin size: 8,670 km2 (3,350 sq mi))
 • average(Period of data: 1953–1981)253 m3/s (8,900 cu ft/s)[4]
 • minimum122 m3/s (4,300 cu ft/s)[4]
 • maximum520 m3/s (18,000 cu ft/s)[4]
Basin features
River systemOgooué River
Tributaries 
 • leftLetili, Lebombi, Lekedi, Leyou, Lolo, Offoue, Ngounié
 • rightMpassa, Léconi, Sebe, Lassio, Dilo, Ivindo, Nké, Okano, Abanga

Geography

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Course

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The source of the Ogooué River was discovered in 1894 by Mary Kingsley, an English explorer who travelled up the banks by steamboat and canoe.[citation needed] The river rises in the northwest of the Bateke Plateaux near Kengue, Republic of Congo.[8] It runs northwest, and enters Gabon near Boumango. Poubara Falls are near Maulongo. From Lastoursville up to Ndjole, the Ogooué is non-navigable due to rapids. From the latter city, it runs west, and enters the Gulf of Guinea near Ozouri, south of Port Gentil. The Ogowe Delta is quite large, about 100 km long and 100 km wide.

Delta

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A 30,000 ha site in the delta of the Ogooué River, including much of Mandji Island, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species.[9]

Basin

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The Ogooué Basin is 223,856 km2 (86,431 sq mi), of which 173,000 km2 (67,000 sq mi) or 73 percent lies within Gabon. It mostly consists of undisturbed rainforest with some savanna grassland where the mid-year dry season is longest. It is home to a high biodiversity. All three species of African crocodile, for instance, occur in the river: the Nile crocodile, the dwarf crocodile, and the slender-snouted crocodile. It is also the type locality for the catfish Synodontis acanthoperca.[10]

The Mpassa River is a tributary of the Ogooué River. The Ndjoumou River is the main tributary of Mpassa River.

Distance from river mouth[11]

Station (km) Altitude (m)
Lambaréné 183 12
Ngounié* 196 13
Abanga* 242 20
Ndjolé 280 25
Okano* 314 40
N'golo* 359 72
Offoué* 424 142
Booué 451 161
Ivindo * 481 180
Dilo* 503 182
Lolo* 512 186
Lassio* 535 200
Lastoursville 616 226
Sébé* 685 242
Leyou* 696 243
Léconi* 714 248
Lékabi* 725 249
Lébombi* 774 270
Mpassa* 802 280
Baniaka* 871 426

*River in confluence

Economy

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The Ogooué is navigable from Ndjole to the sea. It is used to bring wood to the Port Gentil Harbour.

The Ogowe Basin includes several major conservation reserves, including Lope National Park.

The catchment area has an average population density of 4 people per km². Towns along the river include Ayem, Adané, Loanda, Lambaréné, Ndjole, Booué, Kankan, Maulongo, Mboungou-Mbadouma, Ndoro, Lastoursville, Moanda, and Franceville near the Congo border.

Towns in Congo include Zanaga.

The first European explorer to trace the river to its source was Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who traveled in the area in the 1870s.[8]

Tributaries

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Ogooué River
 
Fan women and child, banks of the Ogoway. From The earth and its inhabitants, Africa (published 1890-1893 [v.1, 1892] )

The Ogowe River receives water of numerous tributaries including:

List of major tributaries

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The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream):

Left

tributary

Right

tributary

Length

(km)

Basin size

(km²)

Average discharge

(m3/s)

Nkomi 170 8,900 275
Ngounié 680 33,100 1,002.4
Biné 21
M'boumi 35.1
Abanga 226 7,800 190.3
Okano 280 10,900 192.9
Ngolo 14.6
Mingoué 21.2
Leledi 33.2
Offoué 235 7,300 129.3
Nké 1,600 26
Ivindo 570 62,700 1,057.8
Dilo 160 54.3
Lolo 240 9,700 219.4
Lassio 160 4,000 114.4
Sébé 232 11,900 237
Leyou 1,900 45.5
Lékoni 160 7,600 242.2
Lékabi 2,100 46.7
Lekedi 800 34.6
Lébombi 3,400 106.9
Mpassa 136 6,400 226.3
Baniaka 21.4
Letili 43.5
Loua 11
Djoulou 12.7
Loungou 11.4
Léfou 8.9
Léouké 23.3
Nsiele 14.1

[1][5][11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "FAO".
  2. ^ "Modeling the Ogooué river discharge based on multi-missions altimetry data". 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Central West Coast".
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Evaluation Hidrologique de l'Afrique Sub-Saharienne Pays de Afrique l'Ouest" (PDF). 1992.
  5. ^ a b "Rivers Network".
  6. ^ Aiguio, Dai; Kevin E., Trenberth (2003). "New Estimates of Continental Discharge and Oceanic Freshwater Transport" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b "Source book for the inland fishery resources of Africa Vol. 2".
  8. ^ a b c Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 275. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
  9. ^ "Ogooué delta and Mandji island". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  10. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Synodontis acanthoperca". FishBase. March 2013 version.
  11. ^ a b "Prospection hydro-électrique générale des bassins de l'ogooué et de la nyanga" (PDF). 1962.
  • Perusset André. 1983. Oro-Hydrographie (Le Relief) in Geographie et Cartographie du Gabon, Atlas Illustré led by The Ministère de l'Education Nationale de la Republique Gabonaise. Pg 10-13. Paris, France: Edicef.
  • Petringa, Maria. Brazza, A Life for Africa. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2006. ISBN 9781-4259-11980. Describes Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza's extensive explorations of the Ogoué River basin.
  • National Geographic. 2003. African Adventure Atlas Pg 24,72. led by Sean Fraser.
  • Gardinier David. 1994. Historical Dictionary of Gabon 2nd Edition. USA: The Scarercrow Press, Inc.
  • Direction General de L'Environnement.1999. Stratégie nationale et Plan D'action sur la biodiversité biologique du Gabon.
  • The Atlas of Africa. Pg 201. by Regine Van Chi-Bonnardel. Jeune Afrique Editions.
  • Lerique Jacques. 1983. Hydrographie-Hydrologie. in Geographie et Cartographie du Gabon, Atlas Illustré led by The Ministère de l'Education Nationale de la Republique Gabonaise. Pg 14-15. Paris, France: Edicef.
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Wikisource has the text of The New Student's Reference Work article "Ogowe".

2°40′S 14°30′E / 2.667°S 14.500°E / -2.667; 14.500

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