What You Need To Know

Benguela is a city in western Angola, south of Luanda, and capital of Benguela Province. It lies on a bay of the same name, in 12° 33’ S., 13° 25’ E. Benguela is one of Angola’s most populous cities.

Population: 128 084(2008)
Area: 2 100 km²

Currency

The kwanza is the currency of Angola. Four different currencies using the name kwanza have circulated since 1977.

Climate
The climate in Benguela is warm and temperate. The summers here have a good deal of rainfall, while the winters have very little. This location is classified as Cwa by Köppen and Geiger. In Benguela, the average annual temperature is 20.6 °C. About 1207 mm of precipitation falls annually.

Economy
Benguela was one of the centres of Portuguese trade to the African interior. The city remains an important commercial link between western and eastern Angola. Coffee, corn, sisal, sugarcane, and tobacco are grown in the interior regions of Angola and widely traded in Benguela. Manganese from the interior is also traded in Benguela. Industries local to the city include fish processing and the milling of sugarcane; the city also produces pottery, soap, and tools.
Foreign trade is handled through the deep-water port of Lobito, which is located 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of Benguela. Lobito, once the busiest port in Angola, was severely disrupted during the Angolan Civil War. The port has since revived and supports trade in the Benguela region.
Education
The city formerly had a German school, Deutsche Schule Benguela.

Transport
The Benguela railway line is an iron cable meter in Angola that connects the Atlantic port of Lobito to the eastern border of the city of luau. At the border, it connects to a branch of the Katanga railway, providing access to the Copperbelts of the Congo and Zambia. The iron is named after the city of Benguela, which is connected by an extension line to the terminus of Lobito.

Languages

The languages of Angola are predominantly Bantu and Portuguese, with a small minority of !Kung and Khoe speakers.