Luanda () is the
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
and largest city in
Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major
industrial,
cultural and
urban centre. Located on Angola's northern
Atlantic
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 ...
coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
, and also the capital of the
Luanda Province. Luanda and its metropolitan area is the most populous
Portuguese-speaking capital city in the world and the most populous
Lusophone city outside
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, with over 8.3 million inhabitants in 2020 (a third of Angola's population).
Among the oldest colonial cities of Africa, it was founded in January 1576 as ''São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda'' by Portuguese explorer
Paulo Dias de Novais
Paulo Dias de Novais (c. 1510 – 9 May 1589), a fidalgo of the Royal Household, was a Portuguese colonizer of Africa in the 16th century and the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola. He was the grandson of the explorer Bartolomeu Dias.
D ...
. The city served as the centre of the
slave trade
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 before its prohibition. At the start of the
Angolan Civil War in 1975, most of the white Portuguese left as refugees,
principally for Portugal. Luanda's population increased greatly from refugees fleeing the war, but its infrastructure was inadequate to handle the increase. This also caused the exacerbation of slums, or
musseques, around Luanda. The city is undergoing a major reconstruction, with many large developments taking place that will alter its cityscape significantly.
The industries present in the city include the processing of agricultural products, beverage production, textile, cement, new car assembly plants, construction materials, plastics, metallurgy, cigarettes and shoes. The city is also notable as an economic centre for oil, and a refinery is located in the city. Luanda has been considered one of the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates. The inhabitants of Luanda are mostly members of the ethnic group of the
Ambundu, but in recent times there has been an increase of the number of the
Bakongo
The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.
They have lived a ...
and the
Ovimbundu. There exists a European population, consisting mainly of Portuguese. Luanda was the main host city for the matches of the
2010 African Cup of Nations.
History
Portuguese colonization
Portuguese explorer
Paulo Dias de Novais
Paulo Dias de Novais (c. 1510 – 9 May 1589), a fidalgo of the Royal Household, was a Portuguese colonizer of Africa in the 16th century and the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola. He was the grandson of the explorer Bartolomeu Dias.
D ...
founded Luanda on 25 January 1576 as "São Paulo da Assumpção de Loanda", with one hundred families of settlers and four hundred soldiers. In 1618, the Portuguese built the fortress called ''Fortaleza São Pedro da Barra'', and they subsequently built two more:
Fortaleza de São Miguel
Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the tw ...
(1634) and
Forte de São Francisco do Penedo (1765–66). Of these, the Fortaleza de São Miguel is the best preserved.
Luanda was Portugal's bridgehead from 1627, except during the
Dutch rule of Luanda, from 1640 to 1648, as Fort Aardenburgh. The city served as the centre of
slave trade
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
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
from circa 1550 to 1836. The slave trade was conducted mostly with the Portuguese colony of Brazil; Brazilian ships were the most numerous in the port of Luanda. This slave trade also involved local merchants and warriors who profited from the trade. During this period, no large scale territorial conquest was intended by the Portuguese; only a few minor settlements were established in the immediate hinterland of Luanda, some on the last stretch of the
Kwanza River.
In the 17th century, the
Imbangala became the main rivals of the
Mbundu in supplying slaves to the Luanda market. In the 1750s, between 5,000 and 10,000 slaves were annually sold.
By this time, Angola, a Portuguese colony, was in fact like a colony of Brazil, paradoxically another Portuguese colony. A strong degree of Brazilian influence was noted in Luanda until the
Independence of Brazil in 1822.
In the 19th century, still under Portuguese rule, Luanda experienced a major economic revolution. The
slave trade
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 ...
was abolished in 1836, and in 1844, Angola's ports were opened to foreign shipping. By 1850, Luanda was one of the greatest and most developed Portuguese cities in the vast
Portuguese Empire outside
Continental Portugal, full of trading companies, exporting (together with
Benguela)
palm and
peanut oil
Peanut oil, also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil, is a vegetable oil derived from peanuts. The oil usually has a mild or neutral flavor but, if made with roasted peanuts, has a stronger peanut flavor and aroma. It is often used in Americ ...
, wax,
copal, timber, ivory, cotton, coffee, and
cocoa
Cocoa may refer to:
Chocolate
* Chocolate
* ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree
* Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao''
* Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...
, among many other products. Maize, tobacco,
dried meat, and
cassava flour are also produced locally. The Angolan bourgeoisie was born by this time.
In 1889, Governor
Brito Capelo opened the gates of an aqueduct which supplied the city with water, a formerly scarce resource, laying the foundation for major growth.
Estado Novo
Throughout Portugal's dictatorship, known as the
Estado Novo, Luanda grew from a town of 61,208 with 14.6% of those inhabitants being white in 1940, to a wealthy cosmopolitan major city of 475,328 in 1970 with 124,814 Europeans (26.3%) and around 50,000 mixed race inhabitants (10.5%).
Like most of
Portuguese Angola, the
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
city of Luanda was not affected by the
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...
(1961–1974); economic growth and development in the entire region reached record highs during this period. In 1972, a report called Luanda the "Paris of Africa".
Independence
By the time of
Angolan independence in 1975, Luanda was a modern city. The majority of its population was African, but it was dominated by a strong minority of white Portuguese origin.
After the
Carnation Revolution in Lisbon on April 25, 1974, with the advent of independence and the start of the
Angolan Civil War (1975–2002), most of the white Portuguese Luandans left as refugees,
[Flight from Angola](_blank)
, The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
(August 16, 1975). principally for Portugal, however many travelled over land to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
.
The large numbers of skilled technicians among the force of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
n soldiers sent in to support the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (
MPLA) government in the Angolan Civil War were able to make a valuable contribution to restoring and maintaining basic services in the city.
In the following years, however, slums called ''
musseques'' — which had existed for decades — began to grow out of proportion and stretched several kilometres beyond Luanda's former city limits as a result of the decades-long civil war, and because of the rise of deep social inequalities due to large-scale migration of civil war refugees from other Angolan regions. For decades, Luanda's facilities were not adequately expanded to handle this huge increase in the city's population.
21st century
After 2002, with the end of the civil war and high economic growth rates fuelled by the wealth provided by the increasing oil and diamond production, major reconstruction started.
Luanda has also become one of the world's most expensive cities.
The central government supposedly allocates funds to all regions of the country, but the capital region receives the bulk of these funds. Since the end of the
Angolan Civil War (1975–2002), stability has been widespread in the country, and major reconstruction has been going on since 2002 in those parts of the country that were damaged during the civil war.
Luanda has been of major concern because its population had multiplied and had far outgrown the capacity of the city, especially because much of its infrastructure (water, electricity, roads etc.) had become obsolete and degraded.
Luanda has been undergoing major road reconstruction in the 21st century, and new highways are planned to improve connections to
Cacuaco,
Viana,
Samba, and the new airport.
Major
social housing is also being constructed to house those who reside in slums, which dominate the landscape of Luanda. A large Chinese firm has been given a contract to construct the majority of replacement housing in Luanda. The Angolan minister of health recently stated poverty in Angola will be overcome by an increase in jobs and the housing of every citizen.
Geography
Human geography
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. However, new constructions have by now covered large areas beyond these traditional limits, and a number of previously independent nuclei — like Viana — were incorporated into the city.
Metropolitan Luanda
Until 2011, the former Luanda Province comprised what now forms five
municipalities
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 ...
. In 2011 the Province was enlarged by the addition of two additional municipalities transferred from
Bengo Province
Bengo is a province of Angola. Its capital is Caxito. It has an area of 31,371 square kilometres, and its population as of the 2014 Census was 356,641. The province was created in 1980 by dividing the original province of Luanda into Bengo and ...
, namely Icolo e Bengo, and Quiçama. Excluding these additions, the five municipalities comprise Greater Luanda:
Two new municipalities have been created within Greater Luanda since 2017:
Talatona and
Kilamba-Kiaxi
Quilamba Quiaxi, also spelled as Kilamba Kiaxi, is an city and one of nine municipalities that make up the province of Luanda in Angola. In the Kimbundu language the name means ''Land (Kiaxi) of Kilamba''.
According to the population projections ...
Districts
The city of Luanda is divided in six urban districts:
Ingombota
Ingombota is one of the six urban districts that make up the municipality of Luanda, in the province of Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Ingombota is home to the central business district of Luanda, Angola. The economic, political and symbol ...
, Angola Quiluanje, Maianga, Rangel, Samba and Sambizanga.
In Samba and Sambizanga, more high-rise developments are to be built. The capital Luanda is growing constantly - and in addition, increasingly beyond the official city limits and even provincial boundaries.
Luanda is the seat of a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
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
The Agostinho Neto University ( pt, Universidade Agostinho Neto) is the largest public university of Angola, based in Luanda and in the nearby city of Talatona, in Angola. In the academic year 2005–06, 68 licensing courses were ministered ...
. It is also the home of the colonial Governor's Palace and the
Estádio da Cidadela
Estádio da Cidadela is a stadium in Luanda, Angola. It is used mostly for football matches, while sometimes hosting cultural events, including musical concerts. It is part of the Complexo Desportivo da Cidadela, along with the Pavilhão da Cidade ...
(the "Citadel Stadium"), Angola's main stadium, with a total seating capacity of 60,000.
Climate
Luanda has a hot
semi-arid climate (
Köppen: ''BSh''), bordering upon a
hot desert climate (''BWh''). The climate is warm to hot but surprisingly dry, owing to the cool
Benguela Current, which prevents moisture from easily condensing into rain. Frequent fog prevents temperatures from falling at night even during the completely dry months from May to October. Luanda has an annual rainfall of , but the variability is among the highest in the world, with a co-efficient of variation above 40 percent. The climate is largely influenced by the offshore Benguela current. The current gives the city a surprisingly low humidity despite its low latitude, which makes the hotter months considerably more bearable than similar cities in Western/Central Africa. Observed records since 1858 range from in 1958 to in 1916. The short rainy season in March and April depends on a northerly counter current bringing moisture to the city: it has been shown clearly that weakness in the Benguela Current can increase rainfall about sixfold compared with years when that current is strong.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Luanda are primarily members of African ethnic groups, mainly
Ambundu,
Ovimbundu, and
Bakongo
The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.
They have lived a ...
. The official and the most widely used language is
Portuguese, although several
Bantu languages are also used, chiefly
Kimbundu,
Umbundu, and
Kikongo.
The population of Luanda has grown dramatically in recent years, due in large part to war-time migration to the city, which is safe compared to the rest of the country. In 2006, however, Luanda saw an increase in violent crime, particularly in the shanty towns that surround the colonial urban core.
There is a sizable minority population of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an origin, especially
Portuguese (about 260,000), as well as
Brazilians. In recent years, mainly since the mid-2000s, immigration from Portugal has increased due to greater opportunities present in Angola's booming economy.
There is a sprinkling of immigrants from other African countries as well, including a small expatriate
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
n community. A small number of people of Luanda are of mixed race — European/Portuguese and native African. Over the last decades, a significant
Chinese community has formed, as has a much smaller
Vietnamese community.
Places of worship
Among the
places of worship, several are predominantly
Christian churches and temples:
[Britannica]
Angola
, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019
*
(
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
)
*
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 U ...
(
World Communion of Reformed Churches)
*
Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola (
World Communion of Reformed Churches)
*
Baptist Convention of Angola (
Baptist World Alliance)
*
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
*
Assemblies of God.
Culture
As the economic and political center of Angola, Luanda is similarly the epicenter of Angolan culture. The city is home to numerous cultural institutions, including the
Sindika Dokolo Foundation
The Sindika Dokolo Foundation is a cultural foundation headquartered in Luanda, Angola. It is supported by businessman Sindika Dokolo, the organization's president, and managed by its vice president, Fernando Alvim. Simon Njami the organization' ...
.
The city hosts the annual
Luanda International Jazz Festival, since 2009.
The city is home to numerous museums, including:
*
National Museum of Anthropology
*
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...
*
Museum of the Armed Forces
*
National Museum of Slavery
Other monuments in the city include:
*
Palácio de Ferro
Palácio de Ferro ( en, Iron Palace) is a historical building in the Angolan capital Luanda, believed to have been designed and built by – or by someone associated with – Gustave Eiffel, builder of the world-famous icons, the Eiffel ...
*
Fortress of São Miguel
*
Fortress of São Francisco do Penedo
*
Luanda Cathedral
*
Igreja de Jesus
*
Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Cabo Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Cabo is a church in the Ingombota District of Luanda, Angola. It is the oldest church in the city of Luanda, founded in 1575 by Portuguese traders, who dedicated it to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
The Immac ...
*
Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Conceição
*
Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Nazaré
*
Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Carmo
*
Arquivo Histórico Nacional
Economy
Around one-third of Angolans live in Luanda, 53% of whom live in poverty. Living conditions in Luanda are poor for most of the people, with essential services such as safe drinking water and electricity still in short supply, and severe shortcomings in traffic conditions. On the other hand, luxury constructions for the benefit of the wealthy minority are booming.
Luanda is one of the world's
most expensive cities for resident foreigners. In Mercer’s cost of living index, Luanda was ranked as top of the list due to the extremely high costs of goods and security. Luanda sits above
Seoul,
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
and
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
in the rankings. These costs has fuelled rampant inequality in the city. Skyscrapers are left barren as the price of oil drops.
New import tariffs imposed in March 2014 made Luanda even more expensive. As an example, a half-litre tub of vanilla ice cream at the supermarket was reported to cost US$31. The higher import tariffs applied to hundreds of items, from garlic to cars. The stated aim was to try to diversify the heavily oil-dependent economy and nurture farming and industry, sectors that have remained weak. These tariffs have caused much hardship in a country where the average salary was US$260 per month in 2010, the latest year for which data was available. However, the average salary in the booming oil industry was over 20 times higher at US$5,400 per month.
Manufacturing includes
processed foods,
beverages,
textiles,
cement and other building materials,
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adapta ...
products, metalware,
cigarettes, and shoes/clothes.
Petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
(found in nearby off-shore deposits) is refined in the city, although this facility was repeatedly damaged during the
Angolan Civil War of 1975–2002. Luanda has an excellent natural harbour; the chief exports are
coffee,
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
,
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...
,
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
s,
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...
, and
salt.
The city also has a thriving building industry, an effect of the nationwide economic boom experienced since 2002, when political stability returned with the end of the civil war. Economic growth is largely supported by
oil extraction activities, although great
diversification
Diversification may refer to:
Biology and agriculture
* Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes
* Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to n ...
is taking place. Large
investment (domestic and international), along with strong economic growth, has dramatically increased construction of all economic sectors in the city of Luanda.
In 2007, the first modern shopping mall in Angola was established in the city at
Belas Shopping mall.
Transport
Railway
Luanda is the starting point of the
Luanda railway that goes due east to Malanje. The
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
left the railway non-functional, but the railway has been restored up to
Dondo and
Malanje.
Airport
The main airport of Luanda is
Quatro de Fevereiro Airport
Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport ( pt, Aeroporto Internacional 4 de Fevereiro, sw, Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa Quatro de Fevereiro), is the main international airport of Angola. It is located in the southern part of the capital Lua ...
, which is the largest in the country. A new
international airport,
Angola International Airport
Angola International Airport () (IATA: none, ICAO: none) is an international airport currently under-construction, which will serve the capital of Angola, Luanda. It is located in Bengo Province, 40 km southeast of the city center. It will be ...
is under construction southeast of the city, a few kilometres from
Viana, which was expected to be opened in 2011. However, as the Angolan government did not continue to make the payments due to the Chinese enterprise in charge of the construction, the firm suspended its work in 2010.
Port
The
Port of Luanda
The port of Luanda is an Angolan port located in the city of Luanda, the national capital, in the province of Luanda. It is connected to the city center of Luanda and the district of Ingombota. It is located in the Luanda Bay, which is separated ...
serves as the largest
port of
Angola and is one of the busiest ports in Africa. Major expansion of this port is also taking place. In 2014, a new port is being developed at
Dande, about 30 km to the north.
Road transport
Luanda's roads are in a poor state of repair, but are undergoing an extensive reconstruction process by the government in order to relieve
traffic
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...
congestion in the city. Major road repairs can be found taking place in nearly every neighbourhood, including a major 6-lane
highway connected Luanda to
Viana.
Public transport
Public transit is provided by the suburban services of the
Luanda Railway, by the public company
TCUL, and by a large fleet of privately owned collective taxis as white-blue painted minibuses called ''Candongueiro''. Candongueiros are usually
Toyota Hiace vans, that are built to carry 12 people, although the candongueiros usually carry at least 15 people. They charge from 100 to 200 kwanzas per trip. They are known to disobey traffic rules, for example not stopping at signs and driving over pavements and aisles.
In 2019, the
Luanda Light Rail network with an estimated cost of
US $3 billion was announced to begin construction in 2020.
Education
International schools:
*
Escola Portuguesa de Luanda
* Colégio Português de Luanda
* Colégio São Francisco de Assis
*
Luanda International School
* English School Community of Luanda
Higher education
Universities:
*
Agostinho Neto University
* Lusíada University
*
Catholic University of Angola
*
Technical University of Angola
*
Methodist University of Angola
* Private University of Angola
*
Jean Piaget University of Angola
Universidade Jean Piaget de Angola (''Jean Piaget University of Angola'') is a university in based in Luanda, Angola, with campuses in the Benguela province. It is named after the Swiss philosopher Jean Piaget.
History
The university was found ...
*
University of Luanda
The University of Luanda (UniLuanda; pt, Universidade de Luanda) is an Angolan public university based in the city of Luanda.
The university emerged from the merger of the Higher Institute for Information and Communication Technologies and the Hi ...
* Universidade Indepedente de Angola
* Higher Institute of Education Sciences of the Luanda
Sports
Luanda's
Pavilhão Multiusos do Kilamba hosted games for
Angola's national basketball team on many occasions.
In 2013 Luanda together with Namibe, today's
Moçâmedes, hosted the
2013 FIRS Men's Roller Hockey World Cup, the first time that a World Cup of
roller hockey was held in Africa. The city is home to the Desportivo do Bengo football club.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Luanda is
twinned with:
*
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
*
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
[Lei Municipal de São Paulo 14471 de 2007](_blank)
WikiSource
*
Lisbon,
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 th ...
*
Oaxaca
Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the Federative Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 570 municipaliti ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
*
Praia,
Cape Verde
*
Beira,
Mozambique
*
Windhoek,
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
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Bissau,
Guinea-Bissau
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Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
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Macau, Macau
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Maputo,
Mozambique
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Tahoua,
Niger
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São Tomé,
São Tomé and Príncipe
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Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
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Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
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Porto,
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 th ...
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Huambo, Angola
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Toulon,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
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Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
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Cape Town,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
References
Bibliography
External links
Portal da Cidade de Luandawww.cidadeluanda.com - Luanda, city map, History, Photos
{{Authority control
Capitals in Africa
Municipalities of Angola
Populated coastal places in Angola
Populated places established in 1576
Populated places in Luanda Province
Port cities and towns in Angola
Provincial capitals in Angola
1576 establishments in the Portuguese Empire
1576 establishments in Africa