M'banza Congo
| M'banza Congo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 6 ° 16 ′ S , 14 ° 14 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Angola | ||
| Zaire | |||
| Município | M'banza Congo | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | AO-ZAI | ||
| Comuna | M'banza Congo | ||
| surface | 7651 km² | ||
| Residents | 212,000 (2019) | ||
| density | 27.7 Ew. / km² | ||
M'banza Kongo (alternative spellings M'Banza Congo , Mbanza Koongo , Mbanza Kôngo etc.) is a city in Angola with about 212,000 inhabitants. It is located in the northwest of the country, not far from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
history
M'banza Congo was the capital of the Congo Empire . Her name means Congo Royal Court or Congo City . The city is also known for the ruins of a cathedral built in the 16th century, which some Angolans consider to be the oldest church in Africa south of the Sahara.
After the battle of Ambuila (1665) and the resulting defeat of the Congo Empire by Portugal and the civil wars that followed, M'banza Congo was abandoned in 1678, but settled again in 1705 by Kimpa Vita and her supporters. From 1570 until the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975, the city bore the Portuguese place name "São Salvador do Congo" or (mostly) simply São Salvador .
Attractions
The ruins of the old royal city have been protected as a national cultural heritage ( port .: Património cultural nacional ) since June 10, 2013 . These include the historic center with ruins, archaeological excavations, and especially the remains of the Tadi dia Bukukua royal palace . The Catholic Mission, the House of the King's Secretary, the grave of Dona Mpolo, mother of King Afonso I , and the Congo Kings' cemetery are also on the list. An application for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was submitted at the end of January 2015, and the old town has been a World Heritage Site since July 2017.
administration
M'banza Congo is the capital of the province of Zaire . The city is also the seat of a district of the same name ( Município ) with an area of 7651 km² and about 212,000 inhabitants (2019 estimate). The 2014 census showed 180,329 inhabitants.
Six communities (Comunas) form the district:
sons and daughters of the town
- Holden Roberto (1923–2007), politician and freedom fighter
- Waldemar Bastos (1954–2020), singer and composer
See also
Web links
- Profile of M'banza Congo County on the 2014 Census Official Website
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Population statistics ( memento of the original from July 13, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. citypopulation.de , accessed on June 18, 2019.
- ↑ Article from January 31, 2015 on the candidacy of Mbanza Congo as UNESCO World Heritage ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from the Arika pages of the Portuguese newspaper A Bola , accessed on February 19, 2015
- ↑ German UNESCO Commission: World Heritage List , accessed on July 8, 2017
