Ogooué River

Ogooué River

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

* [http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/FRE/maps/301.htm World Resources Institute map of Ogooue watershed]
* [http://www.waterandnature.org/eatlas/html/af17.html Map of the Ogoué River basin at Water Resources eAtlas]
* [http://www.mokelembembe.com/ Website about the dinosaur hunt]


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  • Ogooué River — or Ogowe River River, west central Africa, mainly in Gabon. It rises in Gabon and flows northwest, then west, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean south of Port Gentil after a course of 750 mi (1,200 km). It is navigable for about 250 mi (400 km) and …   Universalium

  • Ogooué — The Ogooué watershed Origin Kengue, Congo Brazzaville Mouth Port Gentil, Gabon …   Wikipedia

  • river — river1 riverless, adj. riverlike, adj. /riv euhr/, n. 1. a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definite course or channel or series of diverging and converging channels. 2. a similar stream of something other than water: a… …   Universalium

  • Ogooué — /ɒˈgoʊweɪ/ (say o gohway) noun a river in central Africa, flowing north from Congo to the Atlantic. About 970 km …  

  • Ngounie River — The Ngounie River is the last and second most important tributary of the Ogooué River, the first being the Iyunda River. It flows in Gabon, and passes through Fougamou, Sindara, and Mouila. Course The Ngounie River rises in the Chaillu Mountains …   Wikipedia

  • Haut-Ogooué Province — Haut Ogooué is one of Gabon s nine provinces. It is named after the Ogooué River. It covers an area of 36,547 km². The provincial capital is Franceville. One of its primary industries is mining, with manganese, gold and uranium being found in the …   Wikipedia

  • Sebe River — The Sébé (or Sebe) River is a river which flows in Gabon.It is a tributary of the Ogooue River, and passes through Okondja, Haut Ogooué. Its own tributaries are the Loula River and the Lebiri River.References*National Geographic.2003. African… …   Wikipedia

  • Mpassa River — The Mpassa River is a tributary of the Ogooue River. It flows in Gabon, and passes through Franceville. Its main tributary is the Ndjoumou River. The Mpassa River rises in the Bateke Plateau near the border with the Republic of the Congo.… …   Wikipedia

  • Lolo River — The Lolo River is a river in Gabon, and one tributary of the Ogooue River.It rises in the Chaillu Mountains. Then, it receives water of its main tributary Bouenguidi past Koulamoutou, Ogooue Lolo. References* National Geographic. 2003. African… …   Wikipedia

  • Ivindo River — The Ivindo River is the most important tributary of the Ogooué river, which flows in Gabon.CourseThe Ivindo River flows from northeast Gabon to the southwest, eventually emptying into the Ogoue River. It flows through some of the wildest and most …   Wikipedia

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