Namibe
Province
Olive trees in Namibe Province
Olive trees in Namibe Province
Namibe, province of Angola
Namibe, province of Angola
CountryAngola
CapitalMoçâmedes
Government
 • GovernorCarlos da Rocha Cruz
 • Vice-Governor for the Political, Economic and Social SectorJosefa Joana Rebeca Cangombe
 • Vice-Governor for Technical Services and InfrastructuresJosé Tchindongo António
Area
 • Total57,091 km2 (22,043 sq mi)
Population
 (2014 census)[1]
 • Total495,326
 • Density8.7/km2 (22/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeAO-NAM
HDI (2018)0.572[2]
medium · 4th
Websitewww.namibe.gov.ao

Namibe Province is a province of Angola. Under Portuguese rule it was the Moçâmedes District. It has an area of 57,091 km2 and had a 2014 census population of 495,326.[1] The port and city of Moçâmedes is the capital of the province with a population of 250,000 in 2014. Iona National Park lies within the province.

History

From its foundation by the Portuguese in 1840 and until 1985, the area was known as Moçâmedes (also spelled "Mossâmedes").[3] The current name of the province is derived from the Namib Desert, lying predominantly in Namibia; the northernmost part, however, extended into the province of Namibe. Extensive flooding in the province occurred on April 5, 2001, with the Bero and Giraul River severely affecting roads and people in Namibe, Huila and Benguela provinces.[4] A reported 20 people in Namibe Province lost their lives during the flood.[5]

Geography and wildlife

Serra da Leba Road

Namibe Province covers an area of 57,091 km2, much of which is desert. The capital of the province is the city of Moçâmedes, with the second city being Tômbua or Tómbwa (formerly Porto Alexandre). In the Namib Desert can be seen the rare Welwitschia mirabilis, "a strange plant with a giant root", and also the Iona National Park.[6] Lake Arco, a fresh-water oasis, is a stunning sight in the middle of the desert. Near the coast of the Bentiaba desert and in Iona National Park, Late Cretaceous fossils of sharks, turtles, mosasaurs,[7] plesiosaurs and sauropods have been discovered.[8]

Municipalities

The province of Namibe consists of five municipalities (Portuguese: municípios):[9]

Communes

The province of Namibe contains the following communes (Portuguese: comunas); sorted by their respective municipalities:

Demographics

Namibe Province had a population of 495,326 according to the 2014 census.[1] The desert is sparsely inhabited, but is inhabited by Herero groups (vaKuval, Ova-Himba) and small Khoisan groups (Kwisi, Kwepe).[3]

Economy

The Commercial Port of Moçâmedes

Agriculture is the main source of income in Namibe Province, the principal crops being citrus fruits, olives, guava, millet, and livestock, including the rearing of sheep and goats. Fishing is another means of livelihood for the people of Namibe Province, Tômbua being the main market. The province has significant reserves of gold, copper,[10] manganese, chromium, tin, lignite and marble. The Yuri Gagarin Airport and the Commercial Port of Moçâmedes, are the two main centres for transport for the import and export of products.

List of governors of Namibe

Pre-independence period

Post-independence period

Name Years in office
Amândio José Rogado 1975–1976
António Lopes da Câmara 1976–1978
José Ilídio Chilecasse Manjenje 1978–1979
Marcelino Dias 1979
Rafael Sapilinha Sambalanga 1979–1983
Fernando Faustino Muteka 1983–1988
Domingos José 1988–1991
Joaquim da Silva Matias 1991–1999
Salomão José Luheto Xirimbimbi 1999–2002
Álvaro Manuel de Boavida Neto 2002–2009
Cândida Celeste da Silva 2009–2012
Isaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos 2012–2013
Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade 2013–2017
Carlos da Rocha Cruz 2017–2019
Augusto Archer de Sousa Mangueira 2019–

[11]

From 1976 to 1991, the official name was Provincial Commissioner.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Resultados Definitivos Recenseamento Geral da População e Habitação - 2014" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estatística, República de Angola. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  3. ^ a b Silva, Elisete Marques da (1 May 2003). Impactos da ocupação colonial nas sociedades rurais do sul de Angola (in Portuguese). Centro de Estudos Internacionais do Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL). p. 5. ISBN 978-972-8335-08-3.
  4. ^ Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. July 2001. p. 22. ISSN 0032-4558.
  5. ^ "IRI Climate Digest May 2001". Iri.columbia.edu. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  6. ^ Nature's last strongholds: an encyclopedia of habitats and conservation. Time-Life Books. 1991. p. 195. ISBN 9780705411127.
  7. ^ Polcyn, Michael J.; Jacobs, Louis L.; Schulp, Anne S.; Mateus, Octávio (March 2010). "The North African Mosasaur Globidens phosphaticus from the Maastrichtian of Angola". Historical Biology. 22 (1–3): 175–185. Bibcode:2010HBio...22..175P. doi:10.1080/08912961003754978. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 62882332.
  8. ^ James, W. Martin (5 May 2011). Historical Dictionary of Angola. Scarecrow Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-8108-7458-9.
  9. ^ "Angola". Geohive. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  10. ^ Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Europa Publications, Psychology Press. 2003. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-85743-183-4.
  11. ^ "Histórico dos Governadores" (in Portuguese). namibe.gov.ao. Retrieved 6 Mar 2019.

External links

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