Why it's the capital
Luanda grew into Portugal's main base on this coast and was the capital of Portuguese Angola. When Angola became independent in 1975, it remained the capital of the new country.
Luanda
Capital of AngolaLuanda lies on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, around a natural harbour, about 60 km north of the mouth of the Kwanza, the country's longest river.
Fun facts
- Portuguese explorer Paulo Dias de Novais founded the city in 1576 as São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, which makes it one of the oldest colonial cities in Africa.
- The Dutch captured Luanda in the 1640s and held it until 1648, calling it Fort Aardenburgh, before the Portuguese took it back.
- The Fortress of São Miguel, built in 1634, is the best preserved of the three old forts the Portuguese built in Luanda.
Finding it on the globe
Start at the mouth of the Congo River and follow Angola's coastline south: Luanda is on the coast about a quarter of the way down to the border with Namibia.
Sources: Wikipedia: Luanda, Wikipedia: Portuguese Angola, Wikipedia: Cuanza River, Wikipedia: Angola