Luena, formerly known as Luso, is a city and municipality in eastern

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, administrative capital of

Moxico Province Moxico (Portuguese spelling) or Moshiko (Bantu spelling) is the largest Provinces of Angola, province of Angola. It used to have an area of , which corresponded to 18% of the landmass of Angola. The province has a population of 758,568 accordin ...

. The municipality had a population of 357,413 in 2014.

History

The Angolan town is best known as the resting place of former

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Liberat ...

rebel leader

Jonas Savimbi Jonas Malheiro Sidónio Sakaita Savimbi (; 3 August 1934 – 22 February 2002) was an Angolan revolutionary, politician, and rebel military leader who founded and led the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( UNITA). UNITA was on ...

, who was shot and killed by Angolan government troops on February 22, 2002. Later on January 3, 2008, Savimbi's tomb at Luena Main Cemetery was vandalised and four members of the youth wing of the

MPLA The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (, abbr. MPLA), from 1977–1990 called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan social democratic political party. The MPLA fought against the P ...

were charged and arrested."Jonas Savimbi's tomb vandalised, says UNITA"
''

Mail and Guardian The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

'', January 23, 2008.

Climate

Luena has a monsoonal

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cwa'') bordering on a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(Köppen ''Aw'').

Transportation

Luena is serviced by

Luena Airport Luena Airport () is an airport serving Luena, the capital of the Moxico Province in Angola. The Luena VOR-DME (Ident: VUE) and the Luena non-directional beacon (Ident: UE) are on the field. Airlines and destinations Facilities The airpo ...

on the north side of the town. Luena Train Station (Estação Ferroviaria De Luena) is a stop on the

Benguela railway The Benguela Railway () is a 3 ft 6 in gauge railways, Cape gauge railway line that runs through Angola from west to east, being the largest and most important railway line in the country. It also connects to Tenke, Democratic Republic of the C ...

central line connecting Luau with

Lobito Lobito is a municipality in Angola. It is located in Benguela Province, on the Atlantic Coast north of the Catumbela Estuary. The Lobito municipality had a population of 393,079 in 2014. History The city was founded in 1843 and owes its existe ...

. The station was rebuilt and features a clock tower.

Sports

* Estádio Comandante Jones Kufuna Yembe - Mundunduleno (football stadium) * Bravos do Maquis Football Club

Notes

External links

*
Web Site showing Luena and western experiences in the city
{{Authority control Populated places in Moxico Province Municipalities of Angola Provincial capitals in Angola