Wele-Nzas

Province of Equatorial Guinea

Wele nzas (lang es) is a province in the eastern portion of continental Equatorial Guinea. Its capital is Mongomo. It borders the Equatoguinean provinces of Centro sur to the west and Kie ntem to the north, with Gabon's Woleu Ntem Province to the east and south. As of 2015, the population of Wele nzas was 192,017. 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 and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. 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, the newest province of Equatorial Guinea, was carved out of Wele Nzas in 2017. Ciudad de la Paz (formerly Oyala), the planned future capital city of Equatorial Guinea, is being built in Djibloho.

Mongomo is the largest city in the province; other major cities include Aconibe, Añisoc, and Nsok. 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. The city of Mengomeyén is home to the province's main airport, President Obiang Nguema International Airport. Two national parks, Altos de Nsork National Park and Monte Temelón Natural Reserve, are located within the province. Acoacán is the birth place of president Teodoro Obiang.