The Ogooué, some 1,200 kilometres (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, Niger and Zambezi. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.
The Ogooué-Ivindo province is the northeastern-most of Gabon's nine provinces, though its Lopé Department is in the very center of the country. The regional capital is Makokou, which is home to one-third of the provincial population. It gets its name from two rivers, the Ogooué and the Ivindo. This province is the largest, least populated, and least developed of the nine.
The Ivindo River is the most important tributary of the Ogooué River, which flows in Gabon.
The Ogooué-Lolo Province is one of the nine provinces of Gabon, slightly southeast of central Gabon. The regional capital is Koulamoutou, a city of approximately 16,000 people. It is the ninth largest city in Gabon and the home of slightly more than one-third of the provincial population.
Lambaréné is a town and the capital of Moyen-Ogooué in Gabon. With a population of 38,775 as of 2013, it is located 75 kilometres south of the equator.
Ndjolé is the capital town in the Abanga-Bigne Department in Gabon, lying northeast of Lambaréné on the Ogooué River, the N2 road and the Trans-Gabon Railway. It is known as a base for logging and as a transport hub. Ndjolé is the last city that can be reached by barge traffic traveling up the Ogooué River. Above Ndjolé there are rapids on the river.
Moanda is one of the largest towns in Gabon, lying on the N3 road in Haut Ogooué. It is also one of the most important manganese mining towns in the world, under the auspices of the Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué (COMILOG), which began mining in 1957. Moanda has a population of around 39,298 inhabitants and is the second largest city in the Haut Ogooué Region, after Franceville. It is also a border town, lying 100 km away from the border with the Republic of Congo.
Haut-Ogooué is the southeastern-most 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 region. The uranium-bearing mineral Francevillite takes its name from the primary city. It is the historical home of three cultures, the Obamba, Ndzabi and Téké. Like many regions in Africa, more traditional uses of the land have given way to rural migration to the larger cities. In August 2006, its soccer club won the Gabon Independence Cup.
Ogooué-Maritime is the westernmost of Gabon's nine provinces. It covers an area of 22,890 km². The provincial capital is Port-Gentil. It has a 2013 census population of 157,562.
Booué is a small town in central Gabon. It is situated in Lopé Department, southwest side of the Ogooué-Ivindo Province. The town lies just 6.6 miles to the south of the Equator and is the province's only Department capital in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ogooué et des Lacs is a department of Moyen-Ogooué Province in western Gabon. Its capital is also the province's capital, Lambaréné.
Mayéné is a small town in Abanga-Bigne Department, Moyen-Ogooué Province, in northwestern Gabon. It lies east of Anonébéré on the Ogooue River. Nearby the N2 road coming from the west connects with the N3 road. The town is near the Equator, which lies just 6.6 miles to the north.
Adané is a small town in the Ogooué et des Lacs Department, Moyen-Ogooué Province, in northwestern Gabon. It lies near the Ogooue River about 20 kilometres north of Lambarene, and about 12 kilometres north of Nzorbang.
Mgombom is a town in the Abanga-Bigne Department of Moyen-Ogooué Province, in northwestern Gabon. It verges on the Equator on the Ogooue River on the N3 road. The town of Mevang lies adjacent to Mgombom immediately to the west.
The Bangombe Plateau is a plateau covering 42sq.km in the north of Moanda, in the Haut Ogooue Region of Gabon. Exploitation of manganese deposits started on the plateau in 1953 by the Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué (COMILOG).
As of 2011, Gabon contains 152 Cantons, 52 Communes, 29 Arrondissements, and 26 Districts. These are the third-level administrative units of Gabon and between them make up the units of the Departments of Gabon. Arrondissements tend to be units of major cities such as Libreville and communes are generally seated in the main cities and towns and incorporating the surrounding rural area. The cantons of Gabon are largely rural in nature with a small town or large village as the main centre.
Akiéni Airport is an airport serving the town of Akiéni in Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon. The runway is 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) northeast of the town.
Booué Airport is an airport serving the town of Booué in the Ogooué-Ivindo Province of Gabon. The runway lies within a bend of the Ogooué River.
