Subdivisions of Gabon in French: the nine provinces and departments
Gabon has nine provinces, coded GA-1 to GA-9, and below them 49 departments. Each one is listed here in French with its seat, the departments grouped under their province, from Komo (seat Kango) in Estuaire to Woleu (seat Oyem) in Woleu-Ntem.
- Provinces
- 9
- Groups
- 1
Updated
How the French names are built
French names of Gabonese units carry their article, and the article depends on the gender and first sound of the river. Province de l’Estuaire, de l’Ogooué-Ivindo and de l’Ogooué-Lolo elide it before a vowel, Province du Haut-Ogooué contracts de and le, and Province de la Ngounié keeps the feminine la. ISO 3166-2 drops all of this and lists the short forms Estuaire, Haut-Ogooué, Ngounié.
Hyphenated department names usually join two rivers that frame the area. Lolo-Bouenguidi and Lombo-Bouenguidi in Ogooué-Lolo share the Bouenguidi; Louetsi-Wano and Louetsi-Bibaka in Ngounié share the Louetsi. Haut- and Basse- mark the upper and lower course, as in Haute-Banio and Basse-Banio in Nyanga province. The seat is not always the obvious town: Douya-Onoye is governed from Mouila, Mpassa from Franceville and Bendjé from Port-Gentil.
Provinces of Gabon with ISO 3166-2 codes
The nine provinces in their full French form, with the provincial capital and the code ISO 3166-2 gives each one. The codes are plain digits in alphabetical order of the short names, from Estuaire to Woleu-Ntem.
- fra French, the official language
Provinces 9
| Province | Capital | ISO 3166-2 |
|---|---|---|
Province de l’EstuaireISO name: Estuaire
|
Libreville
|
GA-1
|
Province du Haut-OgoouéISO name: Haut-Ogooué
|
Franceville (Masuku)
|
GA-2
|
Province du Moyen-OgoouéISO name: Moyen-Ogooué
|
Lambaréné
|
GA-3
|
Province de la NgouniéISO name: Ngounié
|
Mouila
|
GA-4
|
Province de la NyangaISO name: Nyanga
|
Tchibanga
|
GA-5
|
Province de l’Ogooué-IvindoISO name: Ogooué-Ivindo
|
Makokou
|
GA-6
|
Province de l’Ogooué-LoloISO name: Ogooué-Lolo
|
Koulamoutou
|
GA-7
|
Province de l’Ogooué-MaritimeISO name: Ogooué-Maritime
|
Port-Gentil
|
GA-8
|
Province du Woleu-NtemISO name: Woleu-Ntem
|
Oyem
|
GA-9
|
The departments of Gabon by province
Every province is divided into departments, from two in Moyen-Ogooué to eleven in Haut-Ogooué. The list gives 49 departments with the town that serves as the seat of each; most departments are named after rivers, a few after a plateau or a town.
- fra French
Province de l’Estuaire Estuaire 5
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Komo
|
Kango
|
|
Komo-Mondah
|
Ntoum
|
|
Komo-Océan
|
Ndzomoe
|
Listed today; not in the earlier list of 48
|
Libreville
|
Libreville
|
|
Noya
|
Cocobeach
|
Province du Haut-Ogooué Haut-Ogooué 11
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Bayi-Brikolo
|
Aboumi
|
|
Djoué
|
Onga
|
|
Djouori-Agnili
|
Bongoville
|
|
Lébombi-Léyou
|
Moanda
|
|
Lékabi-Léwolo
|
Ngouoni
|
|
Lékoko
|
Bakoumba
|
|
Lékoni-Lékori
|
Akiéni
|
|
Mpassa
|
Franceville
|
|
Ogooué-Létili
|
Boumango
|
|
Plateaux
|
Lékoni
|
|
Sébé-Brikolo
|
Okondja
|
Province du Moyen-Ogooué Moyen-Ogooué 2
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Abanga-Bigné
|
Ndjolé
|
|
Ogooué et Lacs
|
Lambaréné
|
Province de la Ngounié Ngounié 9
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Boumi-Louetsi
|
Mbigou
|
|
Dola
|
Ndendé
|
|
Douya-Onoye
|
Mouila
|
|
Louetsi-Bibaka
|
Malinga
|
|
Louetsi-Wano
|
Lébamba
|
|
Mougalaba
|
Guiétsou
|
|
Ndolou
|
Mandji
|
|
Ogoulou
|
Mimongo
|
|
Tsamba-Magotsi
|
Fougamou
|
Province de la Nyanga Nyanga 6
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Basse-Banio
|
Mayumba
|
|
Douigny
|
Moabi
|
|
Doutsila
|
Mabanda
|
|
Haute-Banio
|
Ndindi
|
|
Mongo
|
Moulengui-Binza
|
|
Mougoutsi
|
Tchibanga
|
Province de l’Ogooué-Ivindo Ogooué-Ivindo 4
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Ivindo
|
Makokou
|
|
Lopé
|
Booué
|
|
Mvoung
|
Ovan
|
|
Zadié
|
Mékambo
|
Province de l’Ogooué-Lolo Ogooué-Lolo 4
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Lolo-Bouenguidi
|
Koulamoutou
|
|
Lombo-Bouenguidi
|
Pana
|
|
Mouloundou
|
Lastoursville
|
|
Offoué-Onoye
|
Iboundji
|
Province de l’Ogooué-Maritime Ogooué-Maritime 3
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Bendjé
|
Port-Gentil
|
|
Étimboué
|
Omboué
|
|
Ndougou
|
Gamba
|
Province du Woleu-Ntem Woleu-Ntem 5
| Department | Seat | Note |
|---|---|---|
Haut-Komo
|
Médouneu
|
|
Haut-Ntem
|
Minvoul
|
|
Ntem
|
Bitam
|
|
Okano
|
Mitzic
|
|
Woleu
|
Oyem
|
The 48 departments above are given with their seats as listed. Komo-Océan (seat Ndzomoe) is added from Wikipedia’s Departments of Gabon, checked 28 October 2026, which counts 49 departments today.
What has changed below the provinces
The provinces have been stable since independence, and ISO 3166-2:GA has not changed since its first edition. The level below moves more often. Wikipedia’s list notes that the department of Cap Estérias was deleted by an ordinance of 21 February 2013, and it lists Komo-Océan in Estuaire, with its seat at Ndzomoe, as one of 49 departments. The table above keeps 48 departments and adds Komo-Océan in its province.
Questions about the subdivisions of Gabon
How many provinces does Gabon have?
Nine, coded GA-1 (Estuaire) to GA-9 (Woleu-Ntem) in ISO 3166-2.
Which province has the most departments?
Haut-Ogooué, with eleven, from Bayi-Brikolo to Sébé-Brikolo. Moyen-Ogooué has the fewest, two.
What is the capital of Haut-Ogooué?
Franceville, also known by its local name Masuku. It is the seat of the Mpassa department as well.