Location: Province Sao Paulo Map
Founded: 1575
Luanda is the largest city in Angola as well
as its capital. It is situated on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean
in the Sao Paulo Province. Luanda was found in 1575 by the
Portuguese explorers under an original name of Sao Paulo da Assuncao
de Loanda. It became the largest city of Angola as well as its
province. It always served as an important role as a sea port. Over
centuries it grew to a bustling metropolis of 6 million inhabitants
in the city and its suburbs.
Luanda occupies an advantageous position on the coast of the
Atlantic Ocean, in the area where the Kwanza River flows into it.
The climate in this zone is tropical, the average annual rainfall is
250-500 mm, and most of them fall in February-March. The warmest
month of the year is March, at which time the mercury column of the
thermometer rises to + 30 ° C, in July the temperature drops to + 16
° C, which is largely due to the cooling effect of the Bengel
current. It also explains the abnormally dry (for near equatorial
latitudes) climate of the city.
In the vicinity of Luanda, grassy and shrubbery savannas have
been preserved almost in their original form, numerous palm trees
grow there, the groves of which south of the capital are thinning.
Outside the city, you can find such wild animals as elephants,
lions, leopards, zebras, antelopes, monkeys, but their populations
have declined sharply in recent years due to human poaching. In
coastal waters there are various representatives of the aquatic
fauna: whales, turtles, mollusks, several species of fish. The city
center is located at an altitude of 6 m above sea level.
Ave 4 de Fevereiro
Rua Friedrich Engels
Open: 9am- 6pm Mon- Fri
Bay entrance
Entrance Fee: US 2.50
Open: 9am- 6pm
Rua Nossa Senhora da Muxima
Open: 11am- 5pm Tue- Sun
Rua Major Kanyangulo
Rua Rainha Ginga
Constructed: 1655
Praca do Ambiente
Constructed: 1664
The settlement was founded by the Portuguese
colonialist Paulo Dias de Novais (grandson of the famous navigator
Bartolomeu Dias) in 1575 and was named São Paulo di Luanda (renamed
Luanda in 1975). At the same time, on the rocky cape towering over
the city, the fortifications of San Miguel (St. Michael's Fortress)
were erected.
The status of the city of São Paulo de Luanda
acquired in 1605, and at the end of the 16th century the new city
became the center of the Portuguese colonial administration and the
main base of the expansionist forces in Angola. In 1641, the
Portuguese were forced to cede their outpost on the Atlantic coast
to the Dutch, and after 7 years they returned their territories.
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, Luanda was one of the
largest centers of the slave trade; about 3,000,000 Negroes were
transported from the Portuguese-controlled territories through the
port.
In the XX century, Luanda became the center of the
national liberation struggle of the peoples of Angola, there were
often clashes with Portuguese troops.
In 1961, the leadership
of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA)
organized the inhabitants of Luanda to revolt. The armed
demonstration of the capital's inhabitants served as a signal for
the outbreak of civil war.
In April 1974, after a series of
revolutionary uprisings, the Portuguese government agreed to grant
independence to Angola. In November 1975, a new state appeared on
the political map of the world - the People's Republic of Angola
(since August 1992 - the Republic of Angola), whose capital was
Luanda. Since 1978, the largest settlements of Angola have been
repeatedly attacked by South Africa, which sought to prevent the
spread of communist influence in the region and supported the
National Union for the Full Independence of Angola (UNITA).
In 1991, an agreement on a peaceful settlement of the conflict was
signed between representatives of the Government of Angola and the
opposing UNITA group in Lisbon. Nevertheless, the political
situation in the region remained unstable, which hindered the rapid
development of Angolan cities, including Luanda.
In 2008,
according to a study by London-based consulting company ECA
International, Luanda was the most expensive capital in the world.
Among the reasons for high prices are the city’s infrastructure
destroyed by three decades of civil war, long delays in cargo
handling at the city’s port, and high inflation rates. The profits
of foreign companies made in Angola through the extraction of oil
and diamonds create an increased demand for high-quality housing,
expensive restaurants and cars, shoes and clothes, while most
Angolans live in extreme poverty. A liter of milk in Luanda can cost
up to three dollars, and renting a small two-room apartment can cost
up to seven thousand dollars a month.
In 2013, according to
Mercer, which conducted a regular “Cost of Living Survey”, Luanda
was once again recognized as the most expensive city in the world,
surpassing Moscow and Tokyo by this indicator.
Luanda is the largest city in Angola, its population (with suburbs) is about 4.5 million people. The ethnic composition of the capital is quite diverse: representatives of the African peoples Ovimbundu, Mbunda, Bacongo, Lund, Chokwe, Ngantuela, Kuanyama and others live here, as well as Europeans and a mixed African-European population. Capital residents of African descent use the Portuguese language for official negotiations, and among themselves, as a rule, in the Bantu languages (kimbundu, umbunda, kikongo), which are gradually being replaced by Portuguese. 90-98% of young people in the capital speak only Portuguese. Already in the 1983 census, Portuguese was named the native language of 75% of the 2.5 millionth population of Luanda. Angolans of European and mixed origin speak Portuguese, which is the state language. Many residents of Luanda adhere to traditional local beliefs, there are also Christians - Catholics and Protestants (Baptists, Methodists and Congregationalists). In 1970, there were 480,613 people living in the city, with an estimated 2012 population of Luanda was 2,825,311.
Luanda is the center of cultural development of Angola. There are
several hundred elementary schools with an eight-year term of study,
there are training courses for admission to technical and
pedagogical educational institutions that provide secondary
education. Opened in 1976, the University of Agostinho Neto, you can
get higher education. Teaching in all schools and the university is
conducted in Portuguese.
Since 1956, the Academy of Music has
been operating in the city, the Angola Museum has been operating,
where a collection of natural-historical exhibits is presented, and
the Dundu Museum, which contains historical and ethnographic
monuments.
The National and Municipal Libraries have
collected works by the best African poets and writers such as
Luandin Vieira, Arthur Pestana dos Santos (pseudonym Pepetel) and
others, as well as masterpieces of world literature. Troupes of
unprofessional actors perform stage productions of local authors.
The best traditions of musical culture and dance are preserved
in the capital, and the modern popular music of Angola has a close
connection with the musical traditions of Brazil and the Caribbean
islands.
In the city, the development of which began at the
end of the 16th century, at the walls of the fortress castle of San
Miguel (now the Historical Museum), many architectural sights have
been preserved. From the XVII century, the walls of the forts of San
Pedro da Barcom and San Fernando di Penedas remained here.
In
the architectural appearance of the central part of Luanda, built up
like a provincial Portuguese city, the transition from baroque to
classicism found expression. The main attractions of this part of
the capital are the Jesuit Church (XVI century), the Carmelite
temple (circa 1638), the Church of the Madonna of Nazareth (1664)
and others. City sidewalks are paved with delightful mosaics.
In the 1950s and 1970s, significant changes were made to the
appearance of the capital: semicircular development began inland,
the streets were planted with trees, parks and squares were laid out
in the city.
National Museum of Natural History of Angola -
located in Largo do Kinaxixe. It has spacious salons, containing
specimens of mammals, fish, whales, insects, reptiles and birds from
Angola.
National Museum of Anthropology - The building built at
the end of the 18th century, has a collection of about four thousand
pieces that show the traditions and ways of life of the people who
live in the country.
National Slavery Museum - Located in a
chapel known as "Capela da Casa Grande", built in the early 17th
century.
Armed Forces Museum - armaments, vehicles etc. are on
display. used in the conflict by the three Angolan groups (MPLA,
FLNA AND UNITA).
São Pedro da Barra Museum - historical monument,
located in the Sambizanga neighborhood.
Mausoleum Agostinho Neto
- located in Praia do Bispo, this imposing building contains the
mausoleum of the first Angolan President.
Iron Palace - Built in
1890 in downtown Luanda, in addition to its peculiar characteristics
that make it very photogenic it houses the Diamond Museum of Angola
inside.
São Miguel Fortress - built in 1576. Inside the fort, the
elaborated ceramics tell the story of Angola since the early years,
and in the courtyard there are imposing statues, among them that of
the first king of Portugal, that of Diogo Cão - the first European
to reach Angola, and that of explorer Vasco da Gama.
Visit the
methodist church rev timoteo baia
Visit the Island of Luanda - It
is where the elite of Luanda will dine and have fun.
Visit Luanda
Bay
Viewpoint of the Moon
Visit the mouth of the Kwanza River
Mussulo Island
Cabo Ledo
Sangano
Chicala
Kissama
National Park - Located 70 km south of Luanda, it is the most
accessible natural park from Luanda.
By airplane
Despite the very low number of
tourists in the city, the airport has a surprising number of
international connections, which mostly serve Angolans living abroad
(as in Brazil) and the growing number of companies serving the oil
and diamond industries. , as well as the reconstruction of the
country.
4 de Fevereiro Airport.
By train
Rail
services in Angola have seen a dramatic improvement in recent years.
Reconstruction and modernization are carried out by Chinese
companies, rehabilitating what was once the most extensive rail
network in Africa during the colonial regime. However, the trains
are of limited use for tourists, as they mainly serve people who use
it to go to work. Note that rail services still have a reputation
for not being completely safe.
The government is investing heavily in a bus system to attract
the population to use it.
Mini bus
A popular way for
residents to get around the city is by minibus taxis
(candongueiros), easily identifiable by their pale blue and white
color. Although they are considered dangerous by most expatriates,
residents use them daily. During the day, up to around 8 PM, they
are a safe, convenient, and generally very fast means of transport.
Fares are 100 Kwanzas per trip, except on rainy days or heavy
traffic, in which case the rates are doubled.
By car
The
roads in Luanda are generally of an acceptable standard, as is the
case with the main roads between cities, but elsewhere the quality
is greatly reduced. Don't be surprised if you encounter unexpected
problems during the rainy season.
Luanda has several hospitals such as Josina Machel Hospital, former Maria Pia Hospital (Maianga), Américo Boavida Hospital (Rangel), Military Hospital (Maculusso), Queimados Neves Bendinha Hospital, Clínica Girassol (Maianga, owned by Sonangol), Clínica Multiperfil (Morro Bento), Clínica Sagrada Esperança (Ingombota and Talatona, owned by the National Diamond Company).