Benguela (; Umbundu: Luombaka) is a city in western Angola, capital of Benguela Province. Benguela is one of Angola's most populous cities with a population of 555,124 in the city and 561,775 in the municipality, at the 2014 census.

History

Portuguese rule

Banco Nacional, Benguela, Angola (cropped)

Benguela was founded in 1617 as ''São Felipe de Benguela'' by the Portuguese under Manuel Cerveira Pereira, 8th Governor of Angola (1604–1607). It was long the centre of an important trade, especially in

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

to Brazil and Cuba. Ships anchored about off the shore, in depths of and transferred loads to smaller boats which used five or six jetties in the town. However, the nearby deep-water sheltered harbour of Lobito was a much larger port. Besides the churches of S. Felipe and S. António, the hospital, and the fortress, as of 1911 there were only a few stone-built houses. A short way beyond Benguela is Baía Farta, where salt was manufactured and

sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

was extracted. Close to

Baia Farta Baia (german: Baja, Stadt Molde, or Moldenmarkt; hu, Moldvabánya; lat, Civitas Moldaviae) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 6,793 (2002 census).Baia Azul Baia (german: Baja, Stadt Molde, or Moldenmarkt; hu, Moldvabánya; lat, Civitas Moldaviae) is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 6,793 (2002 census).Benguela Railway was built in the early 20th century by Portugal to connect the city and Lobito to the interior, and it achieved great success when linked to the Copperbelt of Katanga,

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and Zambia. Starting in the early 20th century, Benguela attracted, developed, and retained quality businesses and professionals into its growing economy. Sisal and fishing industries expanded and the financial, construction and services market boomed until 1974.

Post-independence

In 1975, after the April 1974

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Portugal, the Portuguese Overseas Province of Angola became independent. Paços do Concelho, Benguela (cropped)

Due to the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002), which lasted more than 20 years after independence from Portugal, the important Benguela railway line closed, with only the short distance of between Benguela and Lobito remaining operational. In 1983 Benguela had a population of 155,000. During the civil war the city of Benguela increased its population due to refugees from the countryside.

21st century

In the mid-2000s, with a more peaceful environment, restoration of the railway between Benguela and Huambo commenced. While the colonial part of the city consists of relatively good-quality houses, as of 2011 most of the refugees live in slum areas.

Transports

The city has an airport, the Benguela Airport. The city is connected to the railway with the Benguela Railway.

Economy

Estádio Nacional de Ombaka (19151153514) (cropped)

Benguela was one of the centres of Portuguese trade to the African interior. The city remains an important commercial link between western and eastern Angola. Coffee,

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, sisal,

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

, and tobacco are grown in the interior regions of Angola and widely traded in Benguela. Manganese from the interior is also traded in Benguela. Industries local to the city include fish processing and the milling of sugarcane; the city also produces pottery, soap, and tools. Foreign trade is handled through the deep-water port of Lobito, which is located north of Benguela. Lobito, once the busiest port in Angola, was severely disrupted during the Angolan Civil War. The port has since revived and supports trade in the Benguela region.

Education

2015 Museu Nacional de Arqueologia Benguela Angola 19669386368 (cropped)

The ''Universidade Katyavala Bwila and Ruvandro Ferreira'' was founded in 2009.

Culture

Religion

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

churches and temples : *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela The Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela ( la, Dioecesis Benguelensis) is a diocese located in the city of Benguela in the Ecclesiastical province of Huambo in Angola. History * June 6, 1970: Established as Diocese of Benguela from the Diocese of N ...

( Catholic Church) *

Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola The Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola ( pt, Igreja Evangélica Congregacional em Angola) is a Reformed Christian denomination in Angola. History On November 11, 1880, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (now the Un ...

( World Communion of Reformed Churches) * Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola ( World Communion of Reformed Churches) *

Baptist Convention of Angola The Baptist Convention of Angola ( pt, Convenção Baptista de Angola) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Angola. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Luanda. History The organization has its origins in a P ...

( Baptist World Alliance) * Universal Church of the Kingdom of God,

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

. Britannica
Angola
britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019

Notable residents

* Maria Araújo Kahn (born 1963/1964), associate judge on the Connecticut Supreme Court *

Leila Lopes Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes Umenyiora (born 26 February 1986) is an Angolan model and beauty queen best known for having been crowned Miss Universe 2011. She had previously won Miss Angola UK 2010 and Miss Angola 2010. Early life Lop ...

- Miss Angola 2010 and

Miss Universe 2011 Miss Universe 2011 was the 60th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011. At the end of the event, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico crowned Leila Lopes of Angola as Miss Universe 2011. It is the ...

Matias Damásio Matias Damásio (born 9 May 1982) is an Angolan musician, singer and songwriter in popular music, romantic music and in Kizomba. He also enjoys great popularity in Portugal through his albums ''Por amor'' that reached number 4 in Portuguese Albums ...

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Provincial capitals in Angola Populated places in Benguela Province Municipalities of Angola Populated coastal places in Angola Populated places established in 1617 1617 establishments in Africa 1610s establishments in Angola 1617 establishments in the Portuguese Empire