Wele-Nzas Province is a province in the eastern portion of continental
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
. Its capital is
Mongomo
Mongomo is a town in the province of Wele-Nzas on mainland Equatorial Guinea, on the eastern border, roughly 1 km (0.62 mi) west of Gabon's Woleu-Ntem Province.
Religion
Its cathedral basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the e ...
. It borders the Equatoguinean provinces of
Centro Sur
Centro Sur (Spanish for "South-center") is a province of Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Evinayong.
Geography
Centro Sur borders Gabon's Estuaire Province in the southwest and Woleu-Ntem Province in the southeast, and Cameroon's South P ...
to the west and
Kié-Ntem
Kié-Ntem is a province of Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Ebebiyín.
Kié-Ntem borders the following country subdivisions:
* South Region, Cameroon - north
*Woleu-Ntem Province, Gabon - east
* Wele-Nzas, Equatorial Guinea - south
* Centro S ...
to the north, with
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
's
Woleu-Ntem Province
Woleu-Ntem is the northernmost of Gabon's nine provinces. It covers an area of 38,465 km and named after Woleu and Ntem rivers that cross it. The provincial capital is Oyem, which had a total of 60,685 inhabitants in 2013.
As Woleu-Ntem i ...
to the east and south. As of 2015, the population of Wele-Nzas was 192,017.
[ It derives its name from the ]Benito River
The Benito is a river in Equatorial Guinea. It is known locally as the Mbini River, and, at least as it flows in its westerly part through the Monte Alen National Park, as the Uoro River. The river rises in Gabon and crosses into Equatorial Guine ...
(also called the ''Wele'') and the Piedra Nzas mountain range.
History
The earliest settlers of Wele-Nzas, and the only inhabitants of the region for nearly 15,000 years, were the Byele peoples. Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
*Black Association for National ...
migration ultimately displaced the Byele, and during the 20th century the last of the Byele migrated to Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. The Fang people
__NOTOC__
The Fang people, also known as Fãn or Pahouin, are a Bantu ethnic group found in Equatorial Guinea, northern Gabon, and southern Cameroon. ultimately became the predominant ethnic group in the province. As European explorers mostly avoided the interior of Equatorial Guinea, there are few accounts of the region in early European histories; even the Spanish governors of the region did not visit Wele-Nzas until the official formation of Spanish Guinea
Spanish Guinea (Spanish: ''Guinea Española'') was a set of insular and continental territories controlled by Spain from 1778 in the Gulf of Guinea and on the Bight of Bonny, in Central Africa. It gained independence in 1968 as Equatorial G ...
in 1926.
Wele-Nzas has played an important role in post-independence Equatoguinean history as the home province of both of the country's presidents, Francisco Macías Nguema
Francisco Macías Nguema ( Africanised to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong; 1 January 1924 – 29 September 1979), often mononymously referred to as Macías, was an Equatoguinean politician who served as the first President of Equatorial Guinea f ...
and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president of any country eve ...
. From 1975 until the 1979 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état, Macías led his totalitarian rule of the nation from his hometown of Nsangayong on the border with Gabon. Obiang has initiated several major infrastructure projects in the province, including a new airport and conference center in Mongomo. Djibloho
Djibloho, officially the ''Administrative City of Djibloho'', (Spanish: ''Ciudad administrativa de Djibloho'') is the newest province of Equatorial Guinea, formally established by law in 2017. The administrative city was initially carved out of A ...
, the newest province of Equatorial Guinea, was carved out of Wele-Nzas in 2017. Ciudad de la Paz
Djibloho - Ciudad de la Paz (french: Djibloho - Ville de Paix, pt, Djibloho - Cidade da Paz), formerly Oyala, is a city in Equatorial Guinea that is being built to replace Malabo as the national capital. Established as an urban district in Wele- ...
(formerly Oyala), the planned future capital city of Equatorial Guinea, is being built in Djibloho.
Geography
Mongomo is the largest city in the province; other major cities include Aconibe
Aconibe (or Akonibe) is a town located on mainland Equatorial Guinea. Population 13,382 (2008 est.) Añisoc
Añisoc is a town in Equatorial Guinea. It is located in the province of Wele-Nzas
Wele-Nzas Province is a province in the eastern portion of continental Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Mongomo. It borders the Equatoguinean provinces of Ce ...
, and Nsok
Nsok is a town in Equatorial Guinea. It is located in the province of Wele-Nzas
Wele-Nzas Province is a province in the eastern portion of continental Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Mongomo. It borders the Equatoguinean provinces of Cent ...
. A major highway links Mongomo to the port city of Bata, and a border crossing near the city connects it to the Gabonese city of Oyem
Oyem is the capital of Woleu-Ntem province in northern Gabon, lying on the N2 road and the River Ntem.
Geography
The town lies on a plateau at an elevation of about . It is the administrative and transport center for the surrounding agricultural ...
.
The city of Mengomeyén
Mengomeyén is a town located in the province of Wele-Nzas, on Río Muni, mainland Equatorial Guinea.
The town is located near what is planned to be the country's future capital, Ciudad de la Paz, and is also site of President Obiang Nguema Int ...
is home to the province's main airport, President Obiang Nguema International Airport
President Obiang Nguema International Airport , is an airport located southwest of the town of Mengomeyén, (also spelled Mongomeyen) in the mainland province of Wele-Nzas, Equatorial Guinea. The airport is named after Teodoro Obiang Nguema M ...
.
Two national parks, Altos de Nsork National Park
The Altos de Nsork National Park ( es, Parque nacional de Los Altos de Nsork) is found in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equato ...
and Monte Temelón Natural Reserve, are located within the province.
Acoacán
Acoacán is a small town in eastern Equatorial Guinea, in the province of Wele-Nzas.
It is the birthplace of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and fo ...
is the birth place of president Teodoro Obiang.
References
{{Authority control
Provinces of Equatorial Guinea