Bié (province)
Encyclopedia
Bié is a province
of Angola
. Located on Bié Plateau
in central part of country. Its capital is Kuito
and it has an area of 70,314 km² and a population of approximately 800,000. Municipalities in the province include Andulo
, Nharea
, Cunhinga
, Chinguar
, Chitembo
, Catabola
, Camacupa
and Cuemba
. Current Governor is José Amaro Tati.
It has boundaries with the province of Malanje
, to the northeast with the province of Lunda Sul
, to Moxico, to the south with Cuando Cubango
and to the west with the provinces of Huila
, Huambo
and Cuanza Sul
.
The climate
of Bié is fresh and abundant rainfall makes possible the culture of corn
, sugar cane, rice
, coffee
and peanut
s. Its ground known to be one of the most fertiles of Angola
.
Bié is furrowed to east and north from the Cuanza River
, that sliding towards north, marks part of the border with Malanje. The south-west is furrowed from the river Cuchi, an affluent of river Cubango.
came from. Savimbi, although born in Moxico Province near Bié, was ethnically Bieno, i.e. of a subgroup of the Ovimbundu
. He led the UNITA
movement first in the anti-colonial war against the Portuguese, and then in the Civil War against the ruling MPLA before he was killed in combat in 2002. Savimbi gained global notoriety as a United States
ally during the Cold War
.
Provinces of Angola
Angola is divided into eighteen provinces:-See also:* ISO 3166-2:AO, the ISO codes for Angola....
of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. Located on Bié Plateau
Bié Plateau
The Bié Plateau or Central Plateau of Angola is a plateau that occupies most of central Angola. The elevation of the plateau is from 1,520 m to 1,830 m....
in central part of country. Its capital is Kuito
Kuito
Kuito is a city located in central Angola. It is the administrative capital of Bié Province. Under Portuguese rule until 1975, it was called Silva Porto. Kuito was under siege in 1993/94 and again in 1998/99 by the rebel forces from UNITA...
and it has an area of 70,314 km² and a population of approximately 800,000. Municipalities in the province include Andulo
Andulo
Andulo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola.The municipality covers an area of 10, 316 km ², with about 319, 000 inhabitants. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Mussende, to the east by the municipalities of Luquembo and Nharea, to the south by the municipalities of...
, Nharea
Nharea
Nharea is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
, Cunhinga
Cunhinga
Cunhinga is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
, Chinguar
Chinguar
Chinguar is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
, Chitembo
Chitembo
Chitembo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
, Catabola
Catabola
Catabola is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
, Camacupa
Camacupa
Camacupa is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola.It lies on the Central Railway of Angola which heads inland from the port of Benguela.- External links :*...
and Cuemba
Cuemba
Cuemba is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
. Current Governor is José Amaro Tati.
It has boundaries with the province of Malanje
Malanje
Malanje is the capital city of Malanje Province in Angola with a population of approximately 222,000. Nearby is the spectacular Calandula waterfalls, 85 km from the city. These falls are 105 metres high and their great width makes them the main tourist attraction in the region. It is a...
, to the northeast with the province of Lunda Sul
Lunda Sul
Lunda Sul is a province of Angola. It has an area of 77,637 km² and a population of approximately 125,000. Saurimo is the capital of the province. Other municipalities include Cacolo, Dala and Muconda. This region is rich with diamonds....
, to Moxico, to the south with Cuando Cubango
Cuando Cubango
Cuando Cubango is a province of Angola and it has an area of 199,049 km² and a population of approximately 140,000. Menongue is the capital of the province. The governor of the province is General Eusebio de Brito. According to 1988 US government statistics, the provincial population was...
and to the west with the provinces of Huila
Huila
Huila may refer to:* Huila Department, in Colombia* Atlético Huila a first division Association football team in Colombia.* Huíla Province, in Angola* Nevado del Huila, volcano in Colombia...
, Huambo
Huambo
Huambo, formerly Nova Lisboa , is the capital of Huambo province in Angola. The city is located about 220 km E from Benguela and 600 km SE from Luanda. The city's last known population count was 225,268...
and Cuanza Sul
Cuanza Sul
Cuanza Sul is a province of Angola. It has an area of 55,660 km² and a population of approximately 600,001.Sumbe is the capital of the province. Municipalities in this province include Porto Amboim, Seles, Conda, Amboim, Quilenda, Libolo, Mussende, Quibala, Waku-Kungo, Cassongue and Ebo.Cuanza Sul...
.
The climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Bié is fresh and abundant rainfall makes possible the culture of corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sugar cane, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s. Its ground known to be one of the most fertiles of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
Bié is furrowed to east and north from the Cuanza River
Cuanza River
The Cuanza River is a river in Angola. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean just south of the nation's capital, Luanda....
, that sliding towards north, marks part of the border with Malanje. The south-west is furrowed from the river Cuchi, an affluent of river Cubango.
Origins of Jonas Savimbi
Bié province is perhaps best known as the place where the family of Angolan political leader Jonas SavimbiJonas Savimbi
Jonas Malheiro Savimbi was an Angolan political leader. He founded and led UNITA, a movement that first waged a guerrilla war against Portuguese colonial rule, 1966–1974, then confronted the rival MPLA during the decolonization conflict, 1974/75, and after independence in 1975 fought the ruling...
came from. Savimbi, although born in Moxico Province near Bié, was ethnically Bieno, i.e. of a subgroup of the Ovimbundu
Ovimbundu
The Southern Mbundu, now generally called Ovimbundu , are an ethnic group who lives on the Bié Plateau of central Angola and in the coastal strip west of these highlands. As the largest ethnic group in Angola, they make up almost 40 percent of the country's population...
. He led the UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
movement first in the anti-colonial war against the Portuguese, and then in the Civil War against the ruling MPLA before he was killed in combat in 2002. Savimbi gained global notoriety as a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ally during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.