Angola

Angola is a name formerly used loosely of the whole West African coast from Cape Lopez to Benguela. But since the establishment of the Congo Free State in 1885, it should at most be used of the Portuguese West African possessions, extending from the Congo southward to Cape Frio. This region is subdivided into four governments—Ambriz, Angola in the narrower sense (capital, St Paul de Loanda), Benguela, and Mossamedes. The limit towards the interior is very vague, but the Portuguese influence, represented by military posts, extends some 1500 miles inland. The area of the whole dependency is stated at 312,000 sq. m., and its pop. estimated at 2,000,000. The coast strip is level, barren, extremely hot, and very unhealthy. Beyond is hill country, reaching a height of 3000 feet. The main rivers are the Kwango, running north to the Congo, and the Coanza and Cunene, running west to the Atlantic. The country is well watered on the whole, and has a luxuriant vegetation of the tropical African type. Yams, tobacco, indigo, rice, cotton, and sugar are freely produced; but under Portuguese mismanagement the wealth of the country is undeveloped or decaying. There is some export of wax, buffalo-hides, ivory, copal gum, and palm-oil. There is abundance of iron in the mountains; also copper, lead, sulphur, and petroleum are obtained. Horses and camels cannot live here; the ox is ridden, but the burden- bearers are usually men. Angola was long notorious for its great slave-trade. The natives are Congo negroes, and belong to the great Bantu stock. In the 16th century they were mostly converted by the Jesuits to a kind of Christianity, but soon fell back into fetishism. The number of white men in Angola, mostly Portuguese, does not exceed 3000, many of whom are transported convicts, and there are some 30,000 mulattos. The Portuguese under Diego Cam discovered this coast in 1486, and soon began to settle in it; but St Paul de Loanda was not built till 1578. The finances, in spite of very heavy taxes, are most unprosperous. But the neighbourhood of the Congo Free State has inspired some attempts at reform.