Ilha do Cabo () typically known as Ilha de Luanda () is a spit off the shore of

Luanda Luanda ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Angola, 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 Ang ...

, the capital of

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 ...

, a country on the continents' southwestern coast. It consists of a low sandy strip formed by

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...

. In administrative terms, the peninsula belongs to the municipality of

Ingombota Ingombota is one of the six urban districts that make up the municipality of Luanda, in the province of Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Ingombota is home to the central business district of Luanda, Angola. The economic, political and symboli ...

in the

Luanda Province Luanda is a province of Angola. It used to cover an area of 18,835 km2, and had a population of 6,945,386 at the Census of 16 May 2014. The city of Luanda is the capital of the province and Angola. It serves as the country's primary port, cultur ...

History

When

Paulo Dias de Novais Paulo Dias de Novais (c. 1510 – 9 May 1589), a fidalgo of the Royal Household, was a Portuguese colonizer of Africa in the 16th century and the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola. He was the grandson of the explorer Bartolomeu Dias. ...

, a Portuguese navigator, arrived here in 1575 with several hundred soldiers and settlers, the island was inhabited by the Axi-lwanda, a subgroup of the

Ambundu The Ambundu (also Mbundu or Kimbundu) ( Mbundu: or , singular: (distinct from the Ovimbundu) are a Bantu people who live on a high plateau in present-day Angola just north of the Kwanza River. The Ambundu speak Kimbundu, and most also spea ...

people which was tributary to the

Kongo Empire The Kingdom of Kongo ( or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' ) was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its gre ...

. The island was an important location to collect zimbo, the shells that constituted the currency of the Kongo king before the arrival of the Portuguese. The Portuguese settled here for a while, gaining control of the currency, before they decided to establish themselves on the mainland, opposite the island. They started to use the name of the African inhabitants as a name for the island and the town, spelling it first "Loanda" and then "Luanda". The ''Ilha'', as it is called colloquially by the population, is connected with the city through a narrow passage and is located at the foot of the

Fortress of São Miguel Fortaleza de São Miguel or Saint Michael Fortress was a Portuguese fortress built in 1576 in the Ingombota District of Luanda, Angola. During Dutch rule in Angola between 1641 and 1648, the fort was known as Fort Aardenburgh. History São M ...

. This is an area where residents can get away from the stresses of the capital, especially on weekends. A wide variety of hotels and clubs with bars and restaurants, as well as flea markets and marinas attract visitors. The first church built by the Portuguese in Angola, the church of ''Nossa Senhora do Cabo'' is located here. It was erected by some 40 settlers in 1575, before they moved to the mainland in 1576, founding the present capital of Luanda.

Culture

The "União Mundo da Ilha" (a carnival group),Angop: União Mundo da Ilha abre desfile da classe A do Carnaval de Luanda
retrieved February 10, 2011 (Portuguese) was founded in 1968 by residents of the island. The group has about 150 members that aim at ''Varina'' and ''Semba'' as their main style of dance. The Clube Náutico da Ilha de Luanda sports club is situated on the island. Well-known dishes from this area are ''Mufete'' and ''Muzongué'' (a type of

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

References

External links

Ilha de Luanda and his traditions
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205523/http://ilhaluanda.no.sapo.pt/ , date=2016-03-03 Ingombota Peninsulas of Africa Landforms of Angola Spits (landform)