MEKAMBO

town, northeastern Gabon. It lies along the south bank of the Djadi River (a tributary of the Ogoou). Mkambo is the trading centre for a substantial mining district. The hills along the plateau, extending for about 100 miles (160 km) from Mkambo to Makokou, contain some of the world's richest iron-ore deposits; notable reserves are located at Belinga, 60 miles (97 km) west-northwest of Mkambo, and at Bokaboka, 30 miles (48 km) southwest. There is also farming in the vicinity. Coffee and cocoa from the hinterland are shipped by road, river, and rail to either Pointe-Noire, Congo (Brazzaville) or Owendo, Gabon, for export. Mkambo also has a Roman Catholic church, a government medical centre, a rubber market, and a school for carpentry and ironsmithing. Pop. (196970) 9,373.