Global InformationLuanda information
8°50′18″S 13°14′04″E / 8.83833°S 13.23444°E
Luanda | |
|---|---|
Capital city | |
Skyline of Luanda Unknown Soldier Memorial Agostinho Neto Memorial National Assembly Church of Our Lady of Remedies Fortress of São Miguel Panoramic view of Luanda Bay | |
  Luanda Location of Luanda in Angola  Luanda Luanda (Africa)  Luanda Luanda (Earth) | |
| Coordinates: 8°50′18″S 13°14′4″E / 8.83833°S 13.23444°E | |
| Country | Angola |
| Province | Luanda |
| Founded | 25 January 1576 |
| Area | |
| • Capital city | 116 km2 (45 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,876 km2 (724 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
| • Capital city | 2,831,280[1] |
| • Metro | 9,079,811 |
| • Metro density | 4,800/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
| 2022 | |
| Demonym(s) | Luandan; luandense (Portuguese) |
| Time zone | +1 |
| HDI (2019) | 0.697[3] Medium |
Luanda (/luˈændə, -ˈɑːn-/, Portuguese: [luˈɐ̃dɐ]) is the capital and largest city of Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport, 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, 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. The city served as the centre of the slave trade to Brazil before its prohibition. At the start of the Angolan Civil War in 1975, most of the white Portuguese left as refugees,[4] 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,[5] 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,[6][7] and a refinery is located in the city. Luanda has been considered one of the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates.[8][9] 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 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.
- ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatística, República de Angola.
- ^ "Angola: Administrative Division (Provinces and Municipalities) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-12. Citypopulation reporting on Instituto Nacional de Estatística, República de Angola (web) projection July 2019
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Luanda - Angola Today". Angola Today. Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
- ^ Guardian Staff (2019-01-22). "After the oil boom: Luanda faces stark inequality – photo essay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2019-06-15. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Specter, Michael (2015-05-25). "Luxury Living in a Failed State". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "Luanda most expensive city for expats". 2017-06-21. Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ Neild, Barry (2018-06-26). "Most expensive city for expats revealed". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-06-15.