Cubango is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

. It was created on 5 September 2024 from the western part of

Cuando Cubango Province Cuando Cubango (Umbundu: Kwando Kubango Volupale) was a former province of Angola. It was divided into the provinces of Cuando and Cubango in 2024. Cuando Cubango had an area of 199,049km2 and a population of 534,002 in 2014. Menongue was the ...

. Its capital is

Menongue Menongue, formerly Serpa Pinto, is a Municipalities of Angola, municipality and the Capital city, capital of Cubango Province in Angola. The municipality had a population of 320,914 in 2014. It is one of the four municipalities in Angola whose inh ...

Geography and climate

Cubango borders the Angolan provinces of Cunene to the west, Huíla to the northwest, Bié to the north, Moxico to the northeast, and Cuando to the east. It also borders the

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n regions of

Kavango East Kavango East is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Rundu, its governor is Bonifatius Wakudumo. The region was created in 2013 when the Kavango Region was split into Kavango East and Kavango West. The only self-governing sett ...

Kavango West Kavango West is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital and only self-governed settlement is Nkurenkuru, its governor is Sirkka Ausiku. The Region was created in 2013 when the Kavango Region was split into Kavango East and Kavango We ...

, and

Ohangwena Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi as well as the self-governed village of Okongo and the proclaimed settlements Ongha, Ongenga an ...

to the southeast, south, and southwest respectively. The province is drained by the Cubango River, which forms most of the province's border with Namibia, and its tributary the

Cuito River The Okavango River (formerly spelt Okovango or Okovanggo), is a river in southwest Africa. It is known by this name in Botswana, and as Cubango in Angola, and Kavango in Namibia. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, runni ...

forms much of the province's border with Cuando. The northern part of Cubango belongs to the

dry miombo woodlands The dry miombo woodlands is an ecoregion in Africa. It has an area of , covering portions of Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola.Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half th ...

ecoregion, while the south falls in the Zambezian ''Baikiaea'' woodlands ecoregion. Cubango's climate varies from tropical in the north to semi-arid in the south. Annual rainfall ranges from in the north to in the south.

History

Since at least 2016, there have been proposals to divide Cuando Cubango, formerly Angola's second largest province by area, into two smaller provinces. On 14 August 2024, Angola's

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

approved a law to create three new provinces, including the division of Cuando Cubango into the provinces of Cuando and Cubango. This law went into effect with its publication in the official gazette of Angola on 5 September 2024.

Administration

Cubango is divided into the eleven

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Caiundo, Calai, Chinguanja, Cuangar, Cuchi, Cutato, Longa, Mavengue,

, Nancova, and

Savate Savate (), also known as French Boxing (French language, French: ''Boxe Française'') or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of boxing, western boxing with a wide variety ...

. Caiundo is further subdivided into the

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Caiundo and Jamba Cueio; Cutato is subdivided into the communes of Cutato and Vissati; Longa is subdivided into the communes of

Baixo Longa Baixo Longa is a commune of Angola, located in the municipality of Longa in the 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 Portugue ...

and Longa; Mavengue is subdivided into the communes of Maué and Mavengue; and Nancova is subdivided into the communes of Nancova and Rito. The first governor of Cubango is José Martins, who was appointed in December 2024 after having been the last governor of Cuando Cubango.

Demographics

The former communes that now make up the territory of Cubango reported a combined population of 435,583 in the 2014 Angolan census. A variety of languages are spoken in Cubango, with Nganguela being the most common.

Economy and infrastructure

The main agricultural activity in Cubango is cattle, goat and sheep farming. An iron mine at Cutato began operations in 2021, and is run by a

public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...

between state-owned Ferrangoland and the Brazilian company Modulax. Ore from the mine is transported to the port of Namibe in

Moçâmedes Moçâmedes is a List of cities and towns in Angola, city in southwestern Angola, and the capital of Namibe Province. The city's current population is 255,000 (2014 census). Founded in 1840 by the Portuguese Angola, Portuguese colonial administr ...

via the

Moçâmedes Railway The Moçâmedes Railway () is an 860 km railway line in Angola, between Moçâmedes and Menongue. The line is operated by the company Caminhos de Ferro de Moçâmedes E.P. The port city of Moçâmedes was renamed Namibe between 1985 and 2016 ...

, which runs near the site and terminates at Menongue. As of 2024,

Menongue Airport Menongue Airport () is an airport serving Menongue, a Municipalities of Angola, municipality in the province of Cubango Province, Cubango in Angola. From 2008 to 2014 the expansion of their terminal building and lengthened. The Menongue non-d ...

has regularly scheduled service on

TAAG Angola Airlines TAAG Angola Airlines E.P. () is a state-owned airline and flag carrier of Angola. Based in Luanda, the airline operates domestic services within Angola, medium-haul services in Africa and long-haul services to Brazil, Cuba, and Portugal. The a ...

to Luanda and

Cuíto Cuíto, formerly known as Silva Porto, is a city and municipality in central Angola, capital of Bié Province. The municipality had a population of 450,881 in 2014. Projected to be the tenth fastest growing city on the African continent between 2 ...

. Roads in the province south of Caiundo have been in poor condition since the end of the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

References

{{Provinces of Angola Cubango Province Provinces of Angola States and territories established in 2024 2024 establishments in Angola