The Ogooué (or Ogowe), also known as the Nazareth River, some 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.
Geography
Course
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. The river rises in the northwest of the Bateke Plateaux near Kengue, Republic of Congo.
Basin
The Ogooué Basin is , of which or 85 percent lies within Gabon.
Ogooué River Basin area by country:
{| class="wikitable sortable col1left"
! rowspan=2 | Country
! colspan=2 | Area
! rowspan=2 | %
|-
!
!
|-
|
|
| 2.34
|-
|
|
| 0.89
|-
|
|
| 84.98
|-
|
|
| 11.79
|-
| colspan="4" |
|-
| '
|
| 100.00
|}
Distance from river mouth:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! 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
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>River in confluence
Gauging stations along the Ogooué River:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" |Station
! rowspan="2" |River kilometer (rkm)
! rowspan="2" |Elevation (m)
! rowspan="2" |Drainage basin
(km<sup>2</sup>)
! rowspan="2" |Average discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s) *
|-
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
|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
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
| colspan="5" |<sup>*</sup> Period: 1971–2000
|}
Discharge
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" | Month
! colspan="3" | Average monthly flow
(m³/s) at delta
|-
!Dry years
!Normal
!Wet years
|-
|DEC–FEB
|3,744.5
|4,285
|4,826.5
|-
|MAR–MAY
|4,883
|6,336
|7,789
|-
|JUN–AUG
|1,625.3
|1,997
|2,188.7
|-
|SEP–NOV
|6,935
|8,041
|9,147
|-
| colspan="4" |
|-
|Average
|4,296.7
|5,142.25
|5,987.8
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center;"
|+Ogooué River discharge (m<sup>3</sup>/s) at Lambaréné gauging station (period from 1929–2017):
! Water year
! Min
! Mean
! Max
! rowspan="41" |
! Water year
! Min
! Mean
! Max
|-
|1929/30
|1,250
|3,569
|5,030
|1969/70
|2,193
|5,386
|9,533
|-
|1930/31
|1,390
|4,238
|6,980
|1970/71
|1,649
|4,214
|8,220
|-
|1931/32
|1,590
|4,259
|7,580
|1971/72
|1,739
|3,826
|6,871
|-
|1932/33
|1,380
|4,126
|6,630
|1972/73
|1,720
|4,199
|7,100
|-
|1933/34
|2,390
|5,449
|10,800
|1973/74
|1,570
|4,252
|8,260
|-
|1934/35
|1,850
|4,888
|6,690
|1974/75
|1,670
|4,642
|8,940
|-
|1935/36
|1,690
|4,612
|7,850
| colspan="4" |1975/76–1979/80: No data
|-
|1936/37
|1,930
|4,835
|8,210
|1980/81
|1,550
|4,290
|7,820
|-
|1937/38
|1,780
|4,791
|7,180
|1981/82
|1,740
|4,100
|6,900
|-
|1938/39
|2,170
|5,905
|11,300
|1982/83
|1,140
|3,520
|8,550
|-
|1939/40
|1,950
|4,762
|6,930
|1983/84
|902
|4,230
|6,530
|-
|1940/41
|1,740
|3,936
|6,460
|1984/85
|2,200
|4,670
|7,610
|-
|1941/42
|1,430
|3,707
|5,720
|1985/86
|1,610
|4,060
|6,800
|-
|1942/43
|1,370
|4,292
|6,880
|1986/87
|1,580
|3,690
|7,160
|-
|1943/44
|2,330
|5,874
|9,450
|1987/88
|1,970
|4,940
|8,880
|-
|1944/45
|2,140
|5,273
|7,980
|1988/89
|1,780
|4,700
|9,810
|-
|1945/46
|1,690
|4,600
|8,490
|1989/90
|2,060
|5,030
|10,800
|-
|1946/47
|2,340
|5,861
|9,310
| colspan="4" |1990/91–1994/95: No data
|-
|1947/48
|2,120
|5,545
|9,780
|1995/96
|1,300
|4,450
|8,310
|-
|1948/49
|2,640
|5,912
|10,600
|1996/97
|1,320
|4,216
|6,510
|-
|1949/50
|1,950
|5,300
|9,600
|1997/98
|1,110
|3,661
|6,300
|-
|1950/51
|1,640
|5,280
|9,470
|1998/99
|1,290
|3,595
|7,940
|-
|1951/52
|2,350
|5,660
|9,080
|1999/00
|1,280
|4,798
|8,350
|-
|1952/53
|2,050
|4,770
|7,200
|2000/01
|1,290
|3,971
|7,770
|-
|1953/54
|1,300
|3,597
|5,690
|2001/02
|1,200
|4,629
|8,260
|-
|1954/55
|1,900
|4,383
|7,530
|2002/03
|1,570
|4,722
|8,030
|-
|1955/56
|1,400
|4,278
|8,100
|2003/04
|1,900
|3,703
|5,590
|-
|1956/57
|1,660
|4,252
|7,420
|2004/05
|1,350
|3,717
|6,020
|-
|1957/58
|979
|3,093
|5,110
|2005/06
|1,500
|4,695
|8,640
|-
|1958/59
|1,580
|4,179
|8,250
|2006/07
|1,740
|4,883
|8,720
|-
|1959/60
|2,160
|5,073
|9,350
|2007/08
|1,640
|5,112
|11,170
|-
|1960/61
|2,190
|5,970
|11,000
|2008/09
|2,520
|5,850
|9,180
|-
|1961/62
|1,910
|5,227
|8,210
|2009/10
|1,480
|3,985
|7,260
|-
|1962/63
|2,170
|4,799
|6,830
|2010/11
|1,510
|3,690
|5,790
|-
|1963/64
|1,810
|4,647
|8,500
|2011/12
|2,190
|4,038
|9,420
|-
|1964/65
|2,100
|5,074
|7,510
|2012/13
|960
|3,931
|7,270
|-
|1965/66
|2,150
|5,500
|9,470
|2013/14
|1,420
|4,588
|8,370
|-
|1966/67
|1,600
|4,482
|10,100
|2014/15
|1,090
|3,890
|6,930
|-
|1967/68
|1,823
|4,451
|7,557
|2015/16
|980
|3,794
|8,090
|-
|1968/69
|2,093
|5,020
|7,607
|2016/17
|1,510
|3,846
|6,490
|-
| colspan="9" |
|-
| colspan="9" |Source:
|}
Tributaries
thumb|Ogooué River
[[File:Fan women and child, banks of the Ogoway.jpg|thumb|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:
- 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
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center;"
|+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
(m<sup>3</sup>/s)
|-
| colspan="2" |Ogooué
|1,200
|225,217.5
|5,148.05
|-
| colspan="5" |Ogooué Delta
|-
|Kolo
| rowspan="2" |
|
|496.8
|13.33
|-
|Nkomi
|170
|5,816.6
|194.01
|-
|
|Akiri
|20
|248.1
|8.91
|-
| colspan="5" |Lower Ogooué
|-
|Olimbé
|
|
|1,352.9
|43.41
|-
| rowspan="4" |
|Lac Ompindi
|
|325.8
|12.28
|-
|Alooué
|
|552
|21.45
|-
|Mangoué
|
|992.5
|41.97
|-
|Oronga
|
|1,248.6
|44.86
|-
|Nkovié
| rowspan="4" |
|
|521.8
|17.6
|-
|Agouma
|
|1,983.3
|70.11
|-
|Lac Zilé
|
|322.4
|9.15
|-
|Ngounié
|680
|32,636.7
|1,002.4
|-
|
|Biné
|
|752.6
|21.03
|-
|M'boumi
|
|109
|1,606.4
|35.38
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|Abanga
|226
|8,204.4
|190.31
|-
|Missanga
|32
|476.5
|9.88
|-
| colspan="5" |Middle Ogooué
|-
|Lébé
|
|
|376.5
|7.01
|-
|
|Okano
|280
|11,257.2
|192.91
|-
|Machoka
|
|
|559.8
|9.78
|-
|
|Ngolo
|
|1,023.1
|14.62
|-
|Mingoué
| rowspan="4" |
|113
|1,178.9
|21.17
|-
|Leledi
|
|2,038.5
|33.23
|-
|Lope
|
|378.9
|5.07
|-
|Offoué
|235
|7,673.9
|166.63
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Nké
|
|1,883.8
|26.04
|-
|Ivindo
|686
|63,201.4
|1,112.4
|-
|Dilo
|190
|3,166
|54.3
|-
|Lolo
|
|240
|11,212.7
|278.17
|-
|
|Lassio
|160
|5,413.3
|114.44
|-
| colspan="5" |Upper Ogooué
|-
|Lehibou
|
|
|410.4
|9.81
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Momba
|
|643.1
|15.34
|-
|Ouolo
|
|640.7
|16.08
|-
|Sébé
|292
|10,069.7
|236.97
|-
|Leyou
|
|134
|1,771
|69.82
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|Lékoni
|252
|7,592.8
|344.36
|-
|Lékabi
|
|1,542.3
|46.67
|-
|Lekedi
| rowspan="2" |
|48
|1,244.5
|34.63
|-
|Lébombi
|91
|3,769.4
|106.89
|-
|
|Mpassa
|163
|6,339.6
|312
|-
|Baniaka
| rowspan="2" |
|
|749.9
|21.38
|-
|Letili
|
|1,682.1
|43.46
|-
|
|Loua
|
|361.6
|11.03
|-
|Djoulou
| rowspan="3" |
|
|509.3
|12.71
|-
|Loungou
|
|481.4
|11.42
|-
|Léfou
|
|382.7
|8.88
|-
|
|Djouéli
|
|377.8
|12.19
|-
|Léouké
|
|
|1,006.9
|23.32
|-
|
|Nsiele
|
|364.7
|14.06
|-
| colspan="5" |Source:
|}
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 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.