What is Luanda?

Luanda formerly called Loanda
Luanda in 2005 Luanda in 2005
Location of Luanda in Angola Location of Luanda in Angola
Coordinates:
Country	Angola
Province	Luanda Province
Founded	1575
Population (conditions 1 January 2005)
- City	2.776.125

Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the largest city in and capital of Angola. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, it is both Angola's chief seaport and administrative centre. It has a population of approximately 4.5 million (UN 2004 estimates), and is the capital city of Luanda Province. Luanda is located at 8°50'18" South, 13°14'4" East (-8.83833, 13.23444).[1]

History

Luanda was founded in 1575 by the Portuguese explorer Paulo Dias de Novais as São Paulo de Luanda. In 1618 the fortress, Fortaleza São Pedro da Barra was built and later in 1634 a new fortress was built, Fortaleza de São Miguel. The city has been the administrative centre of Angola since 1627 (except for 1640–1648 when it was occupied by the Dutch and named Fort Aardenburgh), and from c.1550 to c.1850 it was the center of a large slave trade to Brazil. In 1889 the basis for a major growth of Luanda was laid as Governor Brito Capelo opened the gates of an aqueduct which supplied the city with water, a formerly scarce resource. After this a good deal of unexpected growth increased dramatically towards 1975, with high-points such as an 1972 report which called Luanda the "Paris of Africa" for the growth that the city had shown.

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, with very few Africans permitted to live there. After independence, most of the Portuguese left, many travelling overland to South Africa, and some carrying out acts of sabotage before they departed. 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 were able to make a valuable contribution to restoring and maintaining essential services in the city.

Geography and locations

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.

Climate

Luanda is in the tropical climate zone. The annual average temperature amounts to 24.4 degrees Celsius, the annual amount of precipitation of 368 millimeters on the average.

The warmest months are February until April with on the average 26.7 to 27.0 degrees Celsius, coldest are July and August with 20.2 to 20.4 degrees Celsius on the average.

Most precipitation falls in the months March and April with on the average 97 to 124 millimeters, little between June and Octobers with zero to seven millimeters on the average.

Demographics

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.

Demographic evolution

• 1815 18.000
• 1880 16.000
• 1900 20.000
• 1909 16.000
• 1921 20.000
• 1927 20.000
• 1934 17.900
• 1940 61.208
• 1950 137.000
• 1954 159.000
• 1960 189.500
• 1964 224.540
• 1970 475.328
• 1974 600.000
• 1983 898.000
• 1987 1.136.000
• 1991 2.000.000
• 1995 2.080.000
• 2000 2.571.600
• 2005 2.776.125

Economy

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 has been repeatedly damaged during the civil war. Luanda has an excellent natural harbour, and the chief exports are coffee, cotton, sugar, diamonds, iron, and salt.

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.

Sister cities

• Salvador, Brazil
• Houston, USA (2003)
• Porto, Portugal (source: http://www.cm-porto.pt/gen.pl?sid=cmp.sections/521)

Gallery

External links

• Radio Canal Angola ONLINE
• Web Site of Angolan embassy in India
• www.luandamap.com - Street map of Luanda and other maps of Angola
• www.angolinks.com - Overview of angolan Internet pages
• www.cidadeluanda.com - Luanda, city map, History, Photos
• Classifieds of Angola
• Angolanos.net
• * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
• Maps from Google Maps, Live Search Maps, , Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
• Topographic maps from TopoZone
• Landuse survey from GlobalGuide

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