Ogooué River

Ogooué
The Ogooué watershed
Location
Country	Gabon, Republic of the Congo
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Kengue, Republic of the Congo
• elevation	840 m (2,760 ft)
Mouth	Atlantic 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)
Length	1,200 km (750 mi)
Basin size	225,217.5 km2 (86,957.0 mi2)
Discharge
• location	Ogooué Delta
• average	(Period: 1971–2000)5,148.05 m3/s (181,802 cu ft/s)
• minimum	1,950 m3/s (69,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	7,340 m3/s (259,000 cu ft/s) (13,500 m3/s (480,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Lambaréné
• average	(Period: 1971–2000)4,485.4 m3/s (158,400 cu ft/s)
• minimum	1,610 m3/s (57,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	9,440 m3/s (333,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Ndjolé
• average	(Period: 1971–2000)3,194.8 m3/s (112,820 cu ft/s)
• minimum	1,200 m3/s (42,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	6,600 m3/s (230,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Lastoursville
• average	(Period: 1971–2000)1,305 m3/s (46,100 cu ft/s)
• minimum	650 m3/s (23,000 cu ft/s)
• maximum	2,800 m3/s (99,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge
• location	Franceville
• average	(Period: 1953–1981)253 m3/s (8,900 cu ft/s)
• minimum	122 m3/s (4,300 cu ft/s)
• maximum	520 m3/s (18,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Atlantic Ocean
River system	Ogooué River
Tributaries
• left	Letili, Lebombi, Lekedi, Leyou, Lolo, Offoue, Ngounié
• right	Mpassa, Léconi, Sebe, Lassio, Dilo, Ivindo, Nké, Okano, Abanga

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. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

Geography

Basin

The basin is 223,000 km² (86,000 mi²), of which 189,500 km² (73,200 mi²) or 85 percent lies within Gabon.

Basin area by country:

Country	Area		%
	km2	mi2
Cameroon	5,200	2,000	2.34
Equatorial Guinea	2,000	770	0.89
Gabon	189,500	73,200	84.98
Republic of the Congo	26,300	10,200	11.79
Ogooué basin total	223,000	86,000	100.00

Distance from river mouth:

Station	River kilometer (rkm)	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

Gauging stations along the Ogooué River:

Station	River kilometer (rkm)	Elevation (m)	Drainage basin (km2)	Average discharge (m3/s) *
Ogooué Delta	0	0	225,217.5	5,148.05
Lambaréné	183	12	205,228.5	4,485.4
Ndjolé	280	25	160,106.9	3,191.5
Booué	451	161	130,931.4	2,746.9
Lastoursville	616	226	45,767.1	1,305
Franceville	802	280	8,570.2	233.4
* Period: 1971–2000

Discharge

Tributaries

The 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

Ecology

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.

Economy

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

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.
• 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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ogooué.

Wikisource has the text of The New Student's Reference Work article "Ogowe".

• World Resources Institute map of Ogooué watershed
• Map of the Ogoué River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
• Maria Petringa's 1997 "Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza: Brief Life of a Lover of Africa" about Brazza's extensive explorations of the Ogoué River basin^{[link removed]}
• Website about the dinosaur hunt

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