Namibe Province

Namibe Province is a province of Angola. Under Portuguese rule it was the Moçâmedes District. It has an area of 57,091 km2 and had a 2014 census population of 495,326. The port and city of Moçâmedes is the capital of the province with a population of 250,000 in 2014. Iona National Park lies within the province.
History
From its foundation by the Portuguese in 1840 and until 1985, the area was known as Moçâmedes (also spelled "Mossâmedes"). The current name of the province is derived from the Namib Desert, lying predominantly in Namibia; the northernmost part, however, extended into the province of Namibe.
Extensive flooding in the province occurred on April 5, 2001, with the Bero and Giraul River severely affecting roads and people in Namibe, Huila and Benguela provinces. A reported 20 people in Namibe Province lost their lives during the flood.
Geography and wildlife
Namibe Province covers an area of 57,091 km2, much of which is desert. The capital of the province is the city of Moçâmedes, with the second city being Tômbua or Tómbwa (formerly Porto Alexandre). In the Namib Desert can be seen the rare Welwitschia mirabilis, "a strange plant with a giant root", and also the Iona National Park. Lake Arco, a fresh-water oasis, is a stunning sight in the middle of the desert. Near the coast of the Bentiaba desert and in Iona National Park, Late Cretaceous fossils of sharks, turtles, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs and sauropods have been discovered.
Municipalities
The province of Namibe consists of five municipalities:
Bibala
Camacuio
Moçâmedes (Namibe until 2016)
Tômbua
Virei
Communes
The province of Namibe contains the following communes; sorted by their respective municipalities:
Bibala Municipality: – Bibala, Caitou, Capangombe (Kapagombe), Lola
Camacuio Municipality: – Camacuio, Chingo, Mamué
Moçâmedes Municipality: – Bentiaba, Lucira, Moçâmedes (Namibe) (which is subdivided into 4 zones)
Tômbua Municipality: – Iona (Yona), São Martinho dos Tigres, Tômbua
Virei Municipality: – Cainde, Virei
Demographics
Namibe Province had a population of 495,326 according to the 2014 census. The desert is sparsely inhabited, but is inhabited by Herero groups (vaKuval, Ova-Himba) and small Khoisan groups (Kwisi, Kwepe).
Economy
Agriculture is the main source of income in Namibe Province, the principal crops being citrus fruits, olives, guava, millet, and livestock, including the rearing of sheep and goats. Fishing is another means of livelihood for the people of Namibe Province, Tômbua being the main market.
The province has significant reserves of gold, copper, manganese, chromium, tin, lignite and marble. The Yuri Gagarin Airport and the Commercial Port of Moçâmedes, are the two main centres for transport for the import and export of products.
List of governors of Namibe
Pre-independence period
1849–1851 António Sérgio de Sousa
1851–1852 José Herculano Ferreira da Horta
1852–1854 Carlos Botelho de Vasconcelos
1854–1854 António do Canto e Castro
1854–1859 Fernando da Costa Leal
1859–1861 António Joaquim de Castro
1861–1863 João Jacinto Tavares
1863–1866 Fernando da Costa Leal
1866–1866 Alexandre de Sousa Alvim Pereira
1866–1870 Joaquim José da Graça
1870–1871 Estanislau de Assunção e Almeida
1871–1876 Lúcio Albino Pereira Crespo
1876–1876 Francisco Teixeira da Silva
1876–1876 José Joaquim Teixeira Beltrão
1877–1878 Francisco Augusto da Costa Cabral
1878–1878 Sebastião Nunes da Mata
1878–1879 Francisco Ferreira do Amaral
1879–1880 Sebastião Nunes da Mata
1880–1880 José Bento Ferreira de Almeida
1880–1886 Sebastião Nunes da Mata
1886–1889 Álvaro António da Costa Ferreira
1889–1889 Ventura Duarte Barros da Fonseca
1889–1892 Luís Bernardino Leitão Xavier
1892–1893 Martinho de Queirós Montenegro
1893–1895 Júlio José Marques da Costa
1895–1896 João de Canto e Castro Antunes
1896–1897 João Manuel Mendonça e Gaivão
1897–1897 João Manuel Pereira da Silva
1897–1899 Francisco Diogo de Sá
1899–1902 José Maria d'Aguiar
1902–1902 Sebastião Corrêa de Oliveira
1902–1903 João Augusto Vieira da Fonseca
1903–1904 Viriato Zeferino Passaláqua
1904–1905 José Alfredo Ferreira Margarido
1905–1907 José Rafael da Cunha
1907–1908 António Maria da Silva
1908–1910 Alberto Carolino Ferreira da Costa
1910–1910 António Brandão de Mello Mimoso
1910–1912 Caetano Carvalhal Corrêa Henriques
1912–1914 Henrique Monteiro Corrêa da Silva
1914 Jose Monteiro de Macedo
1914–1916 Alfredo de Albuquerque Felner
1916–1918 José Inácio da Silva
1918–1919 António Dias
1919–1922 José Manuel da Costa
1922–1924 Alberto Nunes Freire Quaresma
1924–1926 Artur Silva
1926–1928 António Augusto de Sequeira Braga
1928–1929 Francisco Martins de Oliveira Santos;
1929 Alcino José Pereira de Vasconcelos
1929–1930 António Augusto de Sequeira Braga
1930–1930 José Maria de Seita Machado
1930–1935 José Pereira Sabrosa
1956–1960 Vasco Falcão Nunes da Ponte
1960–1969 José Luís Henriques de Brito
1969–1970 1969–1970 Rogério de Abreu Amoreira Martins
1970–1971 Agostinho Gomes Pereira
1971–1975 Amândio José Rogado
Post-independence period
References
External links
Official website of province governor
Information on this province at the Angolan ministry for territorial administration
Information on this province at Info Angola
Province geographical info at geoview.info
Provinces of Angola
1840 establishments in the Portuguese Empire