Luanda

The energetic capital and biggest city in Angola, Luanda is evidence of the nation’s rich past, varied culture, and economic possibilities. Tucked down on Angola’s northern Atlantic coast, this energetic city is the main port, industrial center, and administrative center of the country. With almost a third of Angola’s total population living in Luanda, which boasts a population exceeding 8.3 million as of 2020, Luanda has become the most populous Portuguese-speaking capital city globally and the biggest Lusophone city outside Brazil.

Portuguese adventurer Paulo Dias de Novais founded São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda in January 1576, so beginning the history of the city. As one of the first colonial cities in Africa, this site signaled the start of Luanda’s path. Luanda was a major player in the transatlantic slave trade throughout early history, acting as a vital hub for enslaved individuals being transported to Brazil until the practice was outlawed.

With the start of the Angolan Civil War in 1975, Luanda’s history underwent a turning point. White Portuguese residents left in great numbers during this turbulent time, mostly to Portugal. Luanda saw a significant population increase as the conflictraged on internal refugees fled inside its borders. But the city’s infrastructure proved insufficient to handle this fast influx, which resulted in the spread of slums, sometimes referred to as musseques, all around the urban edge.

Luanda started to change remarkably as Angola turned twenty-first century. With many major projects changing its skyline and urban scene, the city started an ambitious road of reconstruction and development. Along with changing the city’s outward look, this time of rebirth heralded a fresh phase in its social and economic development.

The economic scene of Luanda is marked by a wide spectrum of businesses that support its increasing importance. The city has facilities for processing cement, textiles, beverages, and agricultural goods as well as for manufacturing. Along with companies manufacturing building materials, plastics, and shoes, new car assembly facilities have opened recently. Local economy also depends much on the metallurgical industry and tobacco manufacturing. But Luanda’s economic strength is mostly derived from the oil sector; the city hosts a significant refinery and is the hub of activities connected to the sector.

Luanda is among the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates thanks to its fast economic development. This difference captures the economic possibilities of the city as well as its difficulties with infrastructure and resident cost of living.

The Ambundu people, an ethnic group native to Luanda, make up the most of the population there. But more other Angolan ethnic groups—including the Bakongo and Ovimbundu—have become visible in recent years. Reflecting its colonial past and continuous international ties, the city also keeps a sizable but modest population of ethnic Europeans, mostly of Portuguese background.

The city’s cultural value was underlined even more when it hosted the 2010 African Cup of Nations, proving its capacity to plan and host big-scale international events.

Geographically, Luanda is split in two: the lower Baixa de Luanda and the upper city Cidade Alta. Adjacent to the port, the Baixa de Luanda provides a window into the past of the city with its narrow streets and buildings from colonial era. By contrast, the Cidade Alta captures Luanda’s more contemporary, younger face. The city has added formerly independent neighborhoods like Viana into its urban fabric as it has grown, so building a vast city that keeps extending outside its conventional limits.

Luanda, the political and economic center of Angola, naturally forms the epicenter of Angolan culture. Among the many cultural sites in the city is the well-known Sindika Dokolo Foundation, which is instrumental in advancing and conserving Angolan art and culture. Attracting music lovers from all around the world, Luanda has also been home to the yearly Luanda International Jazz Festival since 2009, fast becoming a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar.

Luanda has great difficulties even with its fast development and economic importance. About one-third of Angolans live in the capital, where shockingly 53% of the population is impoverished. Many of the residents struggle with poor access to basic amenities including consistent power and safe drinking water. Still a constant problem, traffic congestion complicates daily life for Luandans even more.