Luanda

Luanda, formerly Loanda, city, northwestern Angola, capital of the country and of Luanda District, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is Angola's largest city and its chief port and industrial center. Commercial and industrial sections are located around the modern deepwater port, and government and residential districts are inland, on higher ground. The city's main exports include petroleum, coffee, diamonds, iron ore, and fish products. Among its manufactures are refined petroleum, motor vehicles, textiles, and processed food. Luanda's airport is the busiest in Angola, and a railroad extends inland to the iron-ore mines at Dalatando and the coffee-producing area around Malanje. Agostinho Neto University (1963), the Angola Institute of Education and Social Service (1962), and the Museum of Angola (1938) are in Luanda. The city is the site of a major landmark—the large fortress of São Miguel (17th century). Founded in 1575 by the Portuguese, Luanda was from the 17th to the mid-19th century a leading port for shipping black African slaves to Brazil. It became the capital of independent Angola in 1975. Population (1999 estimate) 2,550,000.