Malanje
Encyclopedia
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 breathtaking sight. Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo
are massive black rocks. The greatest dam in the country is in Malanje, in the municipality of Capanda. The climate is mainly humid, with average temperatures between 20 and 24°C and rainfall 900 mm to 130 mm in the rainy season (October to April).
to Malanje, in the fertile highlands, started in 1885. The environs of Malanje included the principal cotton
-producing area of Portuguese West Africa and drove its development since the beginning. The town developed in the mid-19th century as an important feira (open-air market) on Portuguese Angola's principal plateau, between Luanda
— the territory's capital and largest city, 250 miles (400 km) to the west — and the Cuango valley, inhabited by Northern Mbundu peoples, 125 miles (200 km) to the east. Situated at an elevation of 4,373 feet (1,333 metres), the town had 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 cotton
, textiles, coffee
, fruit
and corn
, and among its facilities it had cinema, hospital, railway station and airport. The Cangandala National Park
, was established by the Portuguese authorities on 25 June 1970, having previously been classified as an Integral Natural Reserve on 25 May 1963.
(1975–2002), severely hampered the production of cotton
as well as that of coffee
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.
, established by the Portuguese authorities on 25 June 1970, it was founded to protect the Giant Sable Antelope
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 white Angolan 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.
: TAAG, SAL
and Air GEMINI
. Malanje is 450 km from the capital.
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 Luanda
once reconstruction was complete.
Malanje (province)
Malanje is a province of Angola. It has an area of 97,602 km² and a population of approximately 900,000. Malanje is the capital of the province. Municipalities in this province include Massango, Marimba, Cunda-dia-Baza, Caombo, Calandula, Cacuzo, Cuaba Nzogo, Mucari, Quela, Cambundi-Catembo,...
in 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...
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 breathtaking sight. Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo
Pungo Andongo
The Black Rocks at Pungo Andongo are found some 116 km from the provincial capital of Malanje in Angola. They are a series of mysterious rock formations, many incredibly and spectacular shaped in the form of animals, standing high above the flat African Savanna.There is a fort erected by the...
are massive black rocks. The greatest dam in the country is in Malanje, in the municipality of Capanda. The climate is mainly humid, with average temperatures between 20 and 24°C and rainfall 900 mm to 130 mm in the rainy season (October to April).
Portuguese rule
Portuguese settlers founded Malanje in the 19th century. The construction of the railway from LuandaLuanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
to Malanje, in the fertile highlands, started in 1885. The environs of Malanje included the principal cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
-producing area of Portuguese West Africa and drove its development since the beginning. The town developed in the mid-19th century as an important feira (open-air market) on Portuguese Angola's principal plateau, between Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
— the territory's capital and largest city, 250 miles (400 km) to the west — and the Cuango valley, inhabited by Northern Mbundu peoples, 125 miles (200 km) to the east. Situated at an elevation of 4,373 feet (1,333 metres), the town had 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 cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, textiles, 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,...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and 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...
, and among its facilities it had cinema, hospital, railway station and airport. The Cangandala National Park
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 smallest national park in Angola.-History:The park was created in...
, was established by the Portuguese authorities on 25 June 1970, having previously been classified as an Integral Natural Reserve on 25 May 1963.
After independence from Portugal
The withdrawal of the Portuguese in conjunction with Angola’s independence in 1975, and, later, the Angolan Civil WarAngolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
(1975–2002), severely hampered the production of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
as well as that of 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 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.
Landmarks
Near the city is the Cangandala National ParkCangandala 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 smallest national park in Angola.-History:The park was created in...
, established by the Portuguese authorities on 25 June 1970, it was founded to protect the Giant Sable Antelope
Giant Sable Antelope
The Giant Sable Antelope, Hippotragus niger variani, also known in Portuguese as the Palanca Negra Gigante, is a large, rare subspecies of Sable Antelope native and endemic to the region between Cuango and Luando Rivers in Angola....
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 white Angolan 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.
Airport
The airport was built during the colonial era. Currently, the following airlines fly from the capital LuandaLuanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
: TAAG, SAL
SAL
Sal may refer to:People* A nickname for Salvatore, a common Italian name* Sal Mineo, an American film and theatre actor* Sal Paradise, the narrator and protagonist in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road...
and Air GEMINI
Air Gemini
Air Gemini, also known as Air Gemini Cargo, is an airline based in Luanda, Angola, operating chartered passenger and cargo flights into Quatro de Fevereiro Airport on behalf of the local mining industry, as well as services for humanitarian aid missions....
. Malanje is 450 km from the capital.
Railway
The construction of the railway from LuandaLuanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
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 Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
once reconstruction was complete.