Namibe, Angola

Namibe (formerly Mocamedes) is the capital city of Namibe Province in modern day Angola. It is a coastal desert city located in southwestern Angola and was founded in 1840 by the Portuguese colonial administration.

Angola become independent from Portugal in 1975. The Angolan Civil War then took place (1975–2002)and following the departure of the Portuguese, the city of Moçâmedes changed its name to Namibe (1985).

It is one of Angola's 3 major ports, including Luanda and Lobito as well. Namibe is served by the Namibe Airport located about 7 km to the south of the city. The old Yuri Gagarin airport, only about 1.7 km from the city's center, connects the city to the rest of the country.

Namibe has a cool dry climate and desert vegetation due to its proximity to the Namib Desert. This region is equatorial and the seasons reflect rain more than temperature. The rain is part of the monsoon cycle and the rainy seasons are in April and October/November. Africa’s weather does have seasons with winter having cool nights and warm days and summer can be warm to hot and humid.

this region is equatorial and the seasons reflect rain more than temperature. The rain is part of the monsoon cycle and the rainy seasons are in April and October/November. South Africa’s weather does have seasons with winter having cool nights and warm days and summer can be warm to hot and humid.

Cruises to this region whether ex South Africa, the UK or World Cruises all operate in the October to April period.


General Information:

Population: 132,900 (2004 estimate)
Language: Portuguese (official)
Portuguese, the only official language, is known
by 80% of the population. The six Bantu languages
most widely spoken are Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo,
Chokwe, Kwanyama and Ngangela. There are 43 local
dialects.
Currency: Angolan kwanza
Time zone: WAT (UTC+1)