Administrative division of Angola

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The administrative division of Angola is the vertical administrative structure of the Republic of Angola in southwest Africa . The country is divided into 18 provinces ( Províncias ), which are divided into a total of 162 districts ( Municípios ), which in turn are composed of 554 municipalities ( Comunas ).

Historically, the current administrative structure of Angola has developed from its 500 year history as part of the Portuguese colonial empire . This also explains the parallels to the administrative structure of Portugal in terms of structure and terminology.

Provinces

The 18 provinces of Angola roughly correspond to the NUTS 1 regions in Europe and thus, for example, to the federal states in Germany.

The controversial Cabinda province , where the independence movement FLEC is fighting for the separation of the Cabindas enclave from Angola, also belongs to the Angolan provinces . Cabinda did not belong directly to Angola until the Alvor Agreement , which sealed Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975. To date, Cabinda does not enjoy any autonomy or other special regulation beyond the status of a regular Angolan province.

Namibia Sambia Republik Kongo Demokratische Republik Kongo Botswana Provinz Cabinda Provinz Zaire Provinz Luanda Provinz Uíge Provinz Bengo Provinz Cuanza Norte Provinz Cuanza Sul Provinz Malanje Provinz Lunda Norte Provinz Lunda Sul Provinz Moxico Provinz Huambo Provinz Benguela Provinz Bié Provinz Namibe Provinz Huíla Provinz Cunene Provinz Cuando CubangoAngola, administrative divisions - de - colored.svg
About this picture

The provinces of Angola, with the respective identification according to ISO 3166-2 :

→ See also: List of Angolan provinces

Circles

The 18 provinces of Angola are divided into 162 districts. The districts named after the Portuguese term Município correspond roughly to the European NUTS 2 regions. B. in Germany the administrative districts . Some of the circles bear the name of the district town, some of them deviate from it. A large number of the original Portuguese place names were given new names after independence in 1975, as part of the decolonization efforts .

Due to the often large municípios , an administrative reform is under discussion. The number of originally 157 districts has already been increased several times to 162. The planned reform should create new municípios , with a new total of expected 237. This is seen as a further step towards future local self-government . The state is thus striving for further development in the area, taking greater account of local needs and possibilities in the future.

→ See also: List of Municípios of Angola

Communities

The now 162 districts of Angola are made up of a total of 554 communities, the Comunas , German municipalities. The municipalities roughly correspond to the European NUTS 3 regions. B. the districts common in Germany , whereby in Angola there is no comparable status to the urban district known in Germany .

Administrative sectors , the sectores administrativos or áreas administrativos, are occasionally set up below the comunas . They serve as local representatives of the district administrations alongside the communities.

Within the Comunas contains the actual towns ( Localidades ). Larger towns often bear the designations small town ( Vila ) or town ( Cidade ), which dates back to Portuguese times and are still used today . With Aldeias , however, villages and smaller localities are referred to.

→ See also: List of municipalities in Angola

Traditional administrative structures

In addition to the official state administration, traditional administrative structures have been preserved to this day. The highest level is the kingdom ( Reino ), with the king ( Rei ) or the queen ( Rainha ) as head. These are followed by the “rulership districts” ( Regedorias ) with the Regedor as head, mostly referred to as Soba grande . The regedorias are often divided into smaller regedorias, with the soba as the head, and usually include several localities ("villages", Aldeias ).

The Regedorias are usually much smaller than a Comuna. A regedoria can encompass different numbers of villages. The influential soba , the "village elder", acts as mayor, mediator and confidante of the Regedoria, and also represents the population in relation to government agencies. In view of the historical importance and the still great influence of the sobas on the local population, the regedorias are accepted by the state as a parallel administrative structure and integrated into the work of the official state administration, but without any sovereign powers.

→ See also: Soba (Angola)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article on the provinces at www.statoids.com, accessed on March 12, 2014
  2. ↑ Article on the districts on www.statoids.com, accessed on March 12, 2014
  3. ↑ Article from March 6, 2013 on www.angolabelazebelo.com, accessed on March 12, 2014