Benguela

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This article is about the city of Benguela. For the Province of Benguela, see Benguela (province)

Benguela (São Felipe de Benguela, formerly spelt Benguella) is a port 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 was founded in 1617 by the Portuguese under Manoel Cerveira Pereira. It was long the centre of an important trade, especially in slaves to Brazil and Cuba. The anchorage lies about a mile from the town, in 4 to 6 fathoms (7 to 11 m). Besides the churches of S. Felipe and S. Antonio, the hospital, and the fortress, there are (as of 1911) only a few stone-built houses. A short way beyond Benguela is Baía Farta, where salt is manufactured and sulphur excavated. Close to Baia Farta is the most beautiful beach of Baia Azul.

It is the port terminus of the railway that runs from Beira in Mozambique through the Copper Belt of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Due to the civil war in Angola, which lasted more than 20 years, up to 2001, this railway is not operating any more. Only the short distance of 30 km between Benguela and Lobito remained operational. In the last two years, a reparation programme has been ongoing with the aim of rehabilitating the railway between Benguela and Huambo. In 1983 it had a population of 155,000. During the civil war the city of Benguela increased its population due to refugees from the countryside. While the colonial part of the city consists of relatively good quality houses, most of the refugees are living today in slum areas.

Benguela is also referenced in a game called Battlecity, below 'Andorra-la-vella' and above 'Huambo'.