Ngounié Province

Ngounié is a province in the south-central part of Gabon. It covers an area of 3,775 square kilometres, which is about 2,346 miles. The main city, or capital, of Ngounié is Mouila. In a count done in 2013, about 100,838 people lived there. In 2016, the leader of the province was a person named Benjamin Nzigou.

History

The Ngounié Province is named after the Ngounié River, which flows through the area with many smaller rivers joining it.

In 1858, a French explorer named Paul Du Chaillu traveled up the river to a place called Fougamou. During his trip, he met local tribes and wrote about them. Later, Catholic missions were built in places like Mandji, Sindara, and Saint Martin, and their buildings still attract visitors today.

Geography

Ngounié Province has many different landscapes. You can find wide areas of savannah and forest, as well as the Monts de Cristal in the north. Further south, there are mountain ranges like Chaillu and Ikoundou. The area includes steep mountains, flat plains, dense forests, lakes, and fertile farmland.

Population

The Ngounié Province is home to about 101,415 people. The area has many different ethnic groups living together peacefully, such as the Eshira, Pinji, Punu, Tsogo, Njebi, Massango, Vungu, and Eviya. All of these groups are part of the Bantu people.

Traditional social and religious groups, like Bwiti and Ndjembé (a secret society for women), still play an important role in everyday life in the province.

Legends and myths

In Ngounié, there are many old stories about magical beings called genies. These genies are said to protect different parts of the province. Legends tell of sirens named Ipeti and Mougoumi, who live in nearby areas and guard the towns of Ndendé and Mouila. There are also two other genies, Tsamba and Magotsi, who watch over Fougamou from a special waterfall.

The people of Ngounié show respect for these genies by throwing coins and pouring drinks into the rivers. Ngounié is next to several other places, including the Niari Region in the Republic of the Congo, and inside Gabon it borders Nyanga to the south, Ogooué-Maritime to the west, Moyen-Ogooué to the north, Ogooué-Ivindo to the northeast at a quadripoint, and Ogooué-Lolo to the east.

Departments

Ngounié is divided into 9 departments. These departments are:

• Boumi-Louetsi Department (Mbigou)
• Dola Department (Ndendé)
• Douya-Onoy Department (Mouila)
• Louetsi-Wano Department (Lébamba)
• Ndolou Department (Mandji)
• Ogoulou Department (Mimongo)
• Tsamba-Magotsi Department (Fougamou)
• Louetsi-Bibaka Department (Malinga)
• Mougalaba Department (Guietsou)