The Ogooué (or Ogowe), some 1200km long, is the principal river of Gabon in west central Africa. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

Course

The Ogooue River rises in the northwest of the Bateke Plateaux near Kengue, Congo-Brazzaville. It runs northwest, and enters Gabon near Boumango. Poubara Falls are near Maulongo. From Lastoursville until Ndjole, the Ogooue is non-navigable due to rapids. From the latter city, it runs west, and enters the Gulf of Guinea south of Port Gentil. The Ogowe Delta is quite large, about 100 km long and 1000000 km wide.

Basin

The Ogooue Basin is 223,856 km² that 173,000 (73%) are part of the Gabon area. It mostly consists of undisturbed rainforest with some grassland. It is home to a high biodiversity. All three species of crocodile, for instance, occur in the river: the Nile crocodile, the dwarf crocodile, and the slender-snouted crocodile.

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

Economy

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 parks such as the Lope National Park.

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

The first European explorer, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, traveled in the area in the 1870s. Persistent reports by the natives of creatures resembling dinosaurs have motivated a number of recent expeditions into the area of the northern tributaries of the Ogooué and the swamps on the western side of the Congo River.

Tributaries

The Ogowe River receives water of numerous tributaries including:

• Abanga, which rises in the Cristal Mountains, near Medouneu
• Baniaka
• Dilo
• Iyinda, the most important tributary
• Letili
• Lassio
• Lebombi
• Lekabi
• Lekedi
• Lekoni, which flows across Akieni and Leconi
• Letili
• Leyou
• Lolo
• Mbine
• Ngolo
• Ngounie
• Nke
• Offoue
• Okano, whose main tributary is the Lara River
• Mpassa, which flows across Franceville
• Sebe, which flows past Okondja
• Wagny

References

• 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.
• 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.

External links

• World Resources Institute map of Ogooue watershed
• Map of the Ogoué River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
• Website about the dinosaur hunt