Malanje is the capital city of

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 ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

, with a population of 455,000 (2014 census), and a municipality, with a population of 506,847 (2014 census). Projected to be the thirteenth fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.17% growth. It is located east of Angola's capital

Luanda Luanda () is the capital 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 coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seapo ...

. Near it are the spectacular

Calandula waterfalls Calandula Falls (formerly known as Duque de Bragança Falls) are waterfalls in the municipality of Calandula, Malanje Province, Angola. On the Lucala River, the falls are high and wide. They are one of the largest waterfalls by volume in Afri ...

, the rock formations of Pungo Andongo, and 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 ...

. The climate is mainly humid, with average temperatures between and rainfall in the rainy season (October to April).

History

Portuguese rule

Portuguese settlers founded Malanje in the 19th century. The construction of the railway from

to Malanje, in the fertile highlands, started in 1885. The area around Malanje included

Portuguese West Africa Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

's primary areas dedicated to the production of

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 ...

, the crop that drove its development since the beginning. The town developed in the mid-19th century as an important slave market created in 1852. Situated at an elevation of , the town has a high-altitude tropical climate, ideal to several agricultural productions. The city developed as an important agricultural, manufacturing, trading and services centre. Its productions included

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

and

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

. The

Cangandala National Park Cangandala National Park is a national park in Malanje Province, Angola. It is situated between the Cuije river and 2 unnamed territories of the Cuanza, with the towns of Culamagia and Techongolola on the edges of the park. It is the smalle ...

was established by the Portuguese authorities in 1970, having previously been classified as an Integral Natural Reserve in 1963.

After independence from Portugal

The withdrawal of the Portuguese in conjunction with Angola's independence in 1975, and, later, the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Angolana) was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war immediately began after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. The war was ...

(1975–2002), severely hampered the production of

as well as that of

and corn (maize). Malanje was partially destroyed during the civil war, but reconstruction efforts in the years following the end of the conflict have rebuilt the city and its surroundings.

Climate

Landmarks

Near the city is the

, established by the Portuguese authorities on 25 June 1970, it was founded to protect the

Giant Sable Antelope The giant sable antelope or royal sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger variani''), also known in Portuguese as the ''palanca-negra-gigante'', is a large, rare subspecies of the sable antelope native and endemic to the region between the Cuango an ...

which were discovered in 1963. As far as religious buildings are concerned, there is the Evangelical Church at Quêssua and as for funerary constructions, the Tomb of the queen Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande and the tomb of José do Telhado, a local Robin Hood. José do Telhado was a Portuguese who was exiled to

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

that in colonial days used to steal from rich whites and distribute to poor blacks. Worth visiting is the Forte de Cabatuquila in the city.

Transportation

Airport

Malanje Airport Malanje Airport is an airport serving Malanje, the capital of Malanje Province in Angola. The Malange non-directional beacon (Ident: MA) is east of the airport. See also * List of airports in Angola * Transport in Angola Transport in Angol ...

was built during the colonial era. Currently, there are no flights to the capital

Railway

The construction of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

from

to Malanje, in the fertile highlands, started in 1885. After the end of the civil war in 2002, it was expected to be the terminus of a railway from the capital city and port of

once reconstruction was complete.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Malanje Province Municipalities of Angola Provincial capitals in Angola