Okondja

Okondja
Town
Okondja is located in Gabon
Okondja
Okondja
Location in Gabon
Coordinates: 0°39′7″S 13°40′40″E / 0.65194°S 13.67778°E / -0.65194; 13.67778
Country Gabon
ProvinceHaut-Ogooué
DepartmentSebe-Brikolo
Population
 (2013)
 • Total
10,136
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)

Okondja is a town in Haut-Ogooué province, eastern Gabon. It is the capital of the Sebe-Brikolo Department. According to the 1993 census it had a population of 5,193 and in 2013 it had an estimated population of 10,136 .[1] It lies along National Route 15 and is served by Okondja Airport. There are significant manganese reserves in the area. There is an old cinema at Okandja named Sébé Cinema.

Geography and geology

By road, Okondja is located 156 kilometres (97 mi) northeast of Franceville.[2] It lies on the Sébé River and is located in the Sébé Valley.[3][4] It lies along National Route 15 and is served by Okondja Airport.[5]

Geologically it belongs to the Okondja Basin, a forested area[6] with submarine "spilitic volcanism", which explains its significant manganese reserves.[7][8] A Chinese-Brazilian consortium is keen on exploiting local reserves of manganese, and there is a known manganese ore mine about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the east and numerous others in the area.[9][10][11] By 2004, the Brazilians had shown an interest in exploiting at least two deposits in the Okondja area.[12] A 2006 assessment of the area concluded that if exploited to its full potential, Gabon could become the leading exporter of manganese in the world, if the deposits at Franceville, Mbigou and Ndjolé are also exploited.[13] Okondja is also said to have a high diversity of unusual cultivars and bananas and coffee are produced in the area.[14][15]

Demographics

The prefectures of Okondja and Franceville are home to the Obamba people, also known as the Mbamba, who speak a Mbede language.[16] The Lendambomo language is said to be spoken in Okondja.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Gabon". World Gazetteer. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Okondja" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. ^ Labourdette, Jean-Paul (4 January 2008). Petit Futé Gabon São Tomé et Principe (in French). Petit Futé. p. 258. ISBN 978-2-7469-1290-8. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ^ Province du Haut-Ogooué (in French). Multipress Gabon. 1979. p. 50. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Okondja (OKN) Gabon". World-airport-codes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ^ Kesler, Stephen E.; Ohmoto, Hiroshi (2006). Evolution of Early Earth's Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, And Biosphere: Constraints from Ore Deposits. Geological Society of America. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-8137-1198-0. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. ^ Laznicka, Peter (2010). Giant Metallic Deposits: Future Sources of Industrial Metals. Springer. p. 472. ISBN 978-3-642-12405-1. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  8. ^ Genèse des formations précambriennes de fer et de manganèse. International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, UNESCO. 1973. p. 307. ISBN 978-92-3-001108-6. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  9. ^ Miller, Andreas; Melber, Henning; Walraven, Klaas van; Kamete, Amin (31 October 2007). Africa Yearbook Volume 3: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara In 2006. BRILL. p. 257. ISBN 978-90-04-16263-1. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  10. ^ Reyna, Jenaro González (1956). Symposium sobre yacimientos de manganeso. s.n. p. 12. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  11. ^ Kun, Nicolas De (1965). The mineral resources of Africa. Elsevier Pub. Co. p. 288. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. ^ African Economic Outlook. OECD. 2004. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ^ OECD; African Development Bank (19 May 2008). African Economic Outlook 2008. OECD Publishing. p. 319. ISBN 978-92-64-04644-3. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  14. ^ Fouré, Eric; Frison, E. A. (1999). Bananas and Food Security. Bioversity International. p. 192. ISBN 978-2-910810-36-8. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  15. ^ Paul, Marc Aicardi de Saint (1989). Gabon: The Development of a Nation. Routledge. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-415-03906-2. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. ^ Olsen, James Stuart (1996). The peoples of Africa: an ethnohistorical dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 461. ISBN 978-0-313-27918-8. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  17. ^ T. Harteveld; AFRILEX. (1999). Lexikos. Buro van die WAT. p. 261. Retrieved 13 April 2013.