The Kwanza River,
also known as the Coanza, the Quanza, and the Cuanza, is one of the longest
rivers in
Angola
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. It empties into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
just south of the national capital
Luanda
Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...
.
Geography
The river is navigable for about from its mouth, located south of
Luanda
Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...
. Its tributaries included the
Cutato and
Lucala.
History
The river's navigable lower course was the original route of
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
invasion into northern Angola.
The
Capanda Dam
The Capanda Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Kwanza River in Malanje Province, Angola.
Built in 1987–2007 by the Russian company Tekhnopromexport, general designer - the institute Hydroproject (Chief Engineer - Ph.D Fedosov V.E.) The facility ...
in
Malanje Province
Malanje is a province of Angola. It has an area of 97,602 km² and a 2014 census population of 986,363. Malanje is the provincial capital.
Geography
The Malanje Province is located in the north of Angola, the provincial capital and larges ...
was finished in 2004, providing hydroelectric power to the region and assisting its irrigation. The
Cambambe Dam and the
Lauca Dam
Lauca is a Biosphere Reserve, located in northern Chile, in Arica y Parinacota Region. The reserve comprises three protected areas: Lauca National Park, Las Vicuñas National Reserve and Salar de Surire Natural Monument. This zone was declared a ...
were also constructed on the river. The
Caculo Cabaça Hydroelectric Power StationCaculo Cabaça Dam is under construction with estimated completion in 2024. The ''Barra do Kwanza'', the mouth of the river is gradually being developed for tourism, including a golf course.
The
Church of Nossa Senhora da Victoria stands near the banks of the Kwanza River in
Massanganu, Province of Cuanza-Norte,
Angola
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, capital = Luanda
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.
Wildlife
Rich
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
has been found in the Angolan river, according to research reported on the Science and Development Network website. Angola's first biodiversity tally of the Kwanza River has so far found 50 fish species. Researchers from the National Fishing Research Institute and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity say genetic testing may reveal new species. Sportfishing includes
tarpon
Tarpons are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans.
Species a ...
.
Legacy
Angola's currency, the
kwanza
The kwanza (sign: Kz; ISO 4217 code: ) is the currency of Angola. Four different currencies using the name kwanza have circulated since 1977.
The currency derives its name from the Kwanza River (Cuanza, Coanza, Quanza).
Overview
First kwanza ...
, is named after the river.
The river is also the namesake of the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Cuanza Norte
The Cuanza Norte Province ( en, North Cuanza; umb, Konano Kwanza Volupale) is province of Angola. N'dalatando is the capital and the province has an area of 24,110 km² and a population of 443,386. Manuel Pedro Pacavira was born here and ...
("Cuanza North") and
Cuanza Sul ("Cuanza South").
See also
*
Quissama National Park, to the south of the river
References
Citations
Bibliography
* .
External links
Map of the Cuanza River basin at Water Resources eAtlas
Rivers of Angola
{{Angola-river-stub