Cuito Cuanavale is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Cuando Cubango Cuando Cubango (Umbundu: Kwando Kubango Volupale) is a province of Angola and it has an area of 199,049km2 and a population of 534,002 in 2014. Menongue is the capital of the province. The governor of the province is José Martins, who was appoin ...

(Kuando-Kubango) province in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name. It covers an

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

of and its

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

as of 2014 is 40,829 inhabitants. Cuito Cuanavale is bordered to the north by the municipality of

Luchazes Luchazes is a town and municipality in Moxico province, Angola. It is one of the four Municipalities predominantly inhabited by the Mbunda in Angola. Its principal town is Kangamba. The municipality had a population of 14,451 in 2014. See also *M ...

, to the east by the municipality of

Mavinga Mavinga is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango Province in Angola. One of the three municipalities in Angola. Predominantly inhabited by the Mbunda and municipality had a population of 27,196 in 2014. It comprises the communes of Maving ...

, to the south by the municipality of

Nancova Nancova is a municipality of the province of Cuando Cubango, in Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , ...

, and to the west by the municipalities of

Menongue Menongue, formerly Serpa Pinto, is a town, a municipality, and the capital of Cuando Cubango Province in Angola. The municipality had a population of 320,914 in 2014. It is one of the four municipalities in Angola whose inhabitants are predominan ...

and

Chitembo Chitembo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , reli ...

The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...

and the

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

, with the

Battle of Cuito Cuanavale The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale was fought intermittently between 14 August 1987 and 23 March 1988, south and east of the town of Cuito Cuanavale, Angola, by the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) and advisors and soldie ...

from 1987-1988 being the largest land battle in Africa since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The town is served by Cuito Cuanavale Airport.

History

The town owes its name to two local rivers: the Cuito and the Cuanavale. The city day is celebrated on October 21, with an annual celebration being organized for the occasion.

Battle of Cuito Cuanavale

It was in this municipality that some of the bloodiest clashes of the

took place. On the one hand, the FAPLA, the armed forces of the

MPLA The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wing, social d ...

, at the height of power fought, supported by the

Cuban army The Cuban Revolutionary Army ( es, Ejército Revolucionario) serve as the ground forces of Cuba. Formed in 1868 during the Ten Years' War, it was originally known as the Cuban Constitutional Army. Following the Cuban Revolution, the revolutiona ...

, and on the other, the FALA, armed forces of

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...

, supported by the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

. Thousands of combatants died on both sides. At the end of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, both UNITA and the MPLA declared themselves victorious. The biggest consequence of this conflict was the withdrawal of

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

and South African forces from Angolan territory, and the consequent

independence of Namibia The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

. This event climaxed as one of the biggest battles on African soil since the end of World War II.

References

* Populated places in Cuando Cubango Province Municipalities of Angola Battle of Cuito Cuanavale {{Angola-geo-stub