Luanda

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Coordinates: 8°50′18″S 13°14′4″E / -8.83833, 13.23444
Luanda formerly called Loanda
Luanda's waterfront
Location of Luanda in Angola
Country	Angola
Province	Luanda Province
Founded	1575
Population (2007)
- Total	4,799,432

Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and administrative center and has a population of approximately 4.8 million (2007)^[1]. It is also the capital city of Luanda Province. Luanda is located at 8°50'18" South, 13°14'4" East (-8.83833, 13.23444).^[2]

1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 Transportation
6 Notable Residents
7 Sister cities
8 Gallery
9 References
10 External links

[edit] History

Portuguese explorer Paulo Dias de Novais founded Luanda in 1575 as "São Paulo de Loanda". In 1618 the Portuguese built Fortaleza São Pedro da Barra fortress and in 1634 they built Fortaleza de São Miguel fortress. Luanda was Portuguese Angola's administrative center since 1627 with one exception. The Dutch ruled Luanda from 1640 to 1648 as Fort Aardenburgh. The city served as the center of a large slave trade to Brazil from c.1550 to 1836. Slave trade was mostly with the Portuguese colony of Brazil; Brazilian ships were the most numerous in the ports of Luanda and Benguela. By this time, Angola, a Portuguese colony, was in fact like a colony of Brazil, paradoxically another Portuguese colony. A strong Brazilian influence was noted in Luanda until the Independence of Brazil in 1822. In the 19th century, still under Portuguese rule, Luanda experienced a major economic revolution. The slave trade was abolished in 1836, and in 1844 Angola's ports were opened to foreign shipping. By 1850, Luanda was one of the greatest and most developed Portuguese cities in the vast Portuguese Empire outside Mainland Portugal, full of trading companies, exporting (together with Benguela) palm and peanut oil, wax, copal, timber, ivory, cotton, coffee, and cocoa, among many other products. Maize, tobacco, dried meat and cassava flour also began to be produced locally. The Angolan bourgeoisie was born by this time. In 1889 Governor Brito Capelo opened the gates of an aqueduct which supplied the city with water, a formerly scarce resource, laying the foundation for major growth. Like most of Angola, the city of Luanda was not affected by the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974), economic growth and development in the entire region reached record highs during this period. In 1972 a report called Luanda the "Paris of Africa".

By the time of Angolan independence in 1975, Luanda was a modern city and the majority of the city's population was of Portuguese origin. After independence, most of the Portuguese left, most of them to Portugal and many travelling overland to South Africa. There was an immediate crisis because the local African population lacked the skills and knowledge needed to run the city and maintain its infrastructure. The large numbers of skilled technicians among the force of Cuban soldiers sent in to support the MPLA government in the Angolan Civil War (1975 – 2002) were able to make a valuable contribution to restoring and maintaining basic services in the city.

[edit] Geography and climate

Climate chart for Luanda

117

temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

Imperial conversion

Luanda is divided into two parts, the baixa de luanda (lower Luanda, the old city) and the cidade alta (upper city or the new part). The baixa de luanda is situated next to the port and has narrow streets and old colonial buildings.

Luanda is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop. It is also the location of most of Angola's educational institutions, including the private Catholic University of Angola and the public University of Agostinho Neto. It is also the home of the colonial Governor's Palace and Estádio da Cidadela, Angola's main stadium, with a total seating capacity of 60,000.

The climate is hot and humid but surprisingly dry owing to the cool Beneguela Current which prevents moisture from easily condensing into rain. Frequent fog prevents temperatures from falling at night even during the completely dry months from June to October. Luanda has an annual rainfall of 323 millimetres (12.7 in) but the variability is among the highest in the world with a coefficient of variation above 40 percent^[3]. The short rainy season in March and April depends on a northerly counter current bringing moisture to the city: it has been shown clearly that weakness in the Beneguela current can increase rainfall about sixfold compared with years when that current is strong.

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demography of Angola

Population of Luanda, 1750-2007

The inhabitants of Luanda are primarily members of African ethnic groups, including the Ovimbundu, Kimbundu and Bakongo tribes. The official and the most spoken language is Portuguese, although many Bantu-related indigenous languages are spoken. There is a small population of European origin.

The population of Luanda has exploded in recent years, due in large part to migration to the city--which is safe compared to the rest of the country--during wartime.^[4] However, Luanda has recently seen an increase in violent crime, particularly in the shanty towns that surround the colonial urban core.^[5]

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Angola

Manufacturing includes processed foods, beverages, textiles, cement and other construction materials, plastic products, metalware, cigarettes, and shoes. Petroleum, found nearby, is refined in the city although this facility was repeatedly damaged during the Angolan Civil War (1975 – 2002). Luanda has an excellent natural harbour, and the chief exports are coffee, cotton, sugar, diamonds, iron, and salt. There are also a notable construction activity in the capital as an effect of the nationwide economic boom experienced since 2002 when political stability arise with the end of the civil war. The economic growth is largely supported by oil extraction activities. The city is the most developed and the only large economic center worth mentioning in the country, however, slums called musseques, stretch for miles beyond Luanda's former city limits as a result of the decades-long civil war and the rise of deep social inequalities due to large-scale migration of civil war's refugees and widespread political corruption.

[edit] Transportation

Luanda is the starting point of the Luanda railway that goes due east to Malanje, without reaching the Congo-Kinshasa. The civil war left the railway non-functional, but a Chinese firm has been contracted to rebuild it.

The city is home to Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (February 4th Airport), the largest in the country. The Luanda port also serves as a link to the rest of the world.

Luanda's roads are currently in a poor state of repair, and have not been adequately expanded to handle the massive increase in the city's population As a consequence, Luanda suffers from extreme traffic congestion during most weekdays. This congestion has become even more pronounced since the end of the Angolan civil war. Many of the citizens of Luanda rely on privately owned combi taxis for transportation, as the city does not have an adequate public transportation system. One of the few notable exceptions to this is the Samba road, which links the Angolan presidential palace to the international airport. The road's condition immediately deteriorates after the turnoff to the airport.