Luanda, Angola, Africa

Luanda, the capital of Angola, is located on the northwest coast of Angola, with east longitude13 30 ′ and south latitude 8 50 ′. It is adjacent to Bengo Bay in the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the largest mouth of Kuanza River in Angola in the south. It is one of the oldest cities built by European colonists in sub-Saharan Africa. Luanda is located in the tropical area, but it is known as the "tropical spring city" because of its high terrain, mountains and waters, and the influence of Benguela cold current, with a mild climate and an average annual temperature of 24℃. There are only dry seasons and rainy seasons here. The rainy season is from 1 1 month to April of the following year, with high temperature, heavy rainfall and frequent rainy days. May to 10 is a dry season with a cool and pleasant climate. Luanda has a long history. 1482, Portuguese diogo Kaio first arrived at the Angolan coast. Since then, Portuguese colonists began to invade the coastal areas of Angola and trafficked gold, ivory and slaves in Luanda, and then gradually expanded to the mainland. 1576, Portuguese Diaz founded Luanda. 1627, Luanda became an administrative region and the capital of the Portuguese colony. At the same time, it became the earliest colonial stronghold in southern Africa and the main port for selling slaves to Brazil. Since the19th century, Luanda's economy has developed rapidly with the exploration and exploitation of gold, diamonds and oil in Angola. 1866, Luanda had only 15000 residents. In 1970s, it has developed into a medium-sized city with a population of 500,000. Luanda became the capital of Angola after its independence, with an area of 130 square kilometers and a population of 4.5 million (2007). Luanda is the political and economic center of the country. Industry has its own system, accounting for about half of the national industrial output value. 1958, a large oil refinery with advanced equipment was built in the suburb of Luanda, with an annual output of1500,000 tons. The high-quality fuel produced can be exported in addition to domestic consumption. There are Benfica oil field and Luanda offshore oil field, so Luanda is also known as the "oil city" of southern Africa. At the same time, Luanda also has textile, food processing, wine making, cement, aluminum products, sugar making, paper making and other industrial departments, which can provide all kinds of industrial and daily consumer goods to the whole country. Luanda is near the west coast of Africa. The harbor is 4 kilometers long, 2 kilometers wide and 30 meters deep. There are five ocean-going cargo terminals and 1 coastal cargo terminals in the port, which can dock eight large cargo ships at the same time, and receive more than 2,000 ships from all over the world every year, with an annual throughput of more than 2 million tons. 80% of the country's coffee,13 of sugar and most of cotton, as well as some oil, sisal, palm products and grains are shipped from here to all parts of the world. At present, Luanda has highways connected with the whole country except a railway connected with the mainland built in 1886. Luanda has perfect communication facilities, the airport can take off and land large passenger planes, and there are routes connecting Europe, South America and African countries. Luanda has beautiful natural scenery and is a famous tourist destination in Africa. The highlands in the city are mostly residential areas, and the lowlands are industrial and commercial areas. There are many parks and gardens in the city, and the Nassa Seniola Docamo church and the Jesuit church in the palace square are both ancient buildings in the17th century. The famous Angola Museum has a large collection of animal and plant specimens, artworks and historical relics. In the south of the city, there is the castle of San Miguel, which was built in 1575. The castle stands on the ridge, surrounded by irregular polygonal long walls, which is quite magnificent. There are also ancient European-style buildings in the city, such as Nashar Church built in16th century. At the seaside, it is a 20-story building that rises from the ground, with great momentum. There are good beaches in the suburbs, where there are many high-class hotels and clubs. Green trees and flowers complement the golden beaches and blue waters. Near the city, there is the second largest waterfall in Africa, second only to Moxiwa Tunia Waterfall (formerly known as Victoria Waterfall), which is a place frequented by tourists. Luanda can celebrate three traditional festivals in Angola. The Island Festival at the end of each year 1 1 is a day for people to hold ceremonies to worship the sea. At that time, people threw food into the sea. Ocean Festival from mid-February to late March and Carnival on March 27th. On holidays, despite the hot weather, the streets of Luanda are still crowded with people, singing and dancing everywhere, and there is joy.