Huíla is a province of Angola. It has an area of and a population of 3,302,866 (2024 census).Angola: Provinces and municipalities Citypopulation Lubango is the capital of the province. Basket-making is a significant industry in the province; many make baskets out of reeds.

History From the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–1975) to Angola's independence, and the subsequent civil war in Angola (1975-2002) Huíla was directly affected only during relatively short periods of time. Cassinga was abandoned by its European supervisors, and the mine fell into neglect during the ensuing Angolan Civil War. The following year it was occupied by the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), military wing of the South West African People's Organization. PLAN subsequently adopted Cassinga as a staging point for insurgent raids on South-West Africa, about 250 kilometres to the south. Their bases soon became a sanctuary for local refugees during the Namibian War of Independence.

In 1978, PLAN's presence in Cassinga attracted the attention of the South African Defence Force. Operation Reindeer saw paratroops of the 44 Parachute Regiment supported by bomber and strike aircraft launch an air assault on 4 May. The six-hour assault claimed approximately 600 lives, including four SADF soldiers, sixty Cuban soldiers and over five hundred PLAN combatants and South West African exiles. Cassinga was the site of more fighting during Operation Askari, in December 1983.

The post-colonial development in Angola has seen the establishment of two universities in Lubango (the state Universidade Mandume, named after a leader of the Ovambo in the fight against the occupation by the Portuguese), as well as a campus of the Universidade Privada de Angola. Tourism is emerging, largely involving white entrepreneurs from Namibia, which the provincial government is actively seeking to attract.

Geography Huíla Province is traversed by the northwesterly line of equal longitude and latitude. The province is bordered on the west by the provinces of Namibe and Benguela, to the north by Bié and Cubango, and to the south by the province of Cunene. The winding road known as Leba Hill, as well as Bicauri National Park are in Huíla Province. Bicauri National Park was established in 1964 and covers an area of 790 km2.

Municipalities The province of Huíla contains fourteen municipalities ():

Name of Town or City Land Area EstimatedPopulationJuly 2018 PopulationDensity Caconda 189,450 40.1 Cacula 154,624 44.8 Caluquembe 203,128 66.1 Chibia 215,219 41.5 Chicomba 148,795 35.4 Chipindo 73,056 18.7 Chiange (Gambos) 89,684 11.0 Humpata 100,634 79.8 Jamba 118,633 10.7 Kuvango 88,670 9.2 Lubango 876,339 279.1 Matala 296,618 32.7 Quilengues 85,040 19.1 Quipungo 179,363 23.5

Communes The province of Huíla contains the following communes (); sorted by their respective municipalities:

Caconda Municipality: – Caconda, Cusse, Gungue (Gungui), Uaba (Waba) Cacula Municipality: – Cacula, Chicuaqueia (Tchiquaqueia), Chituto (Tchituto), Viti Vivali (Viti Vivale) Caluquembe Municipality: – Calépi (Kalépi), Caluquembe (Kalukembe), N'gola Chibia Municipality: – Capunda-Cavilongo, Chibia, Jau, Quihita Chicomba Municipality: – Chicomba, Cutenda (Kutenda); Libongue, Quê Chipindo Municipality: – Bambi, Chipindo; Bunjei Gambos Municipality: – Chiange, Chibemba (Chimbemba) Humpata Municipality: – Humpata; Bata-Bata, Caholo (Kaholo), Neves, Palanca Jamba Municipality: – Cassinga, Dongo, Jamba Kuvango Municipality: – Galangue, Kuvango (Cuvango), Vicungo Lubango Municipality: – Arimba, Hoque (Degola), Huíla, Lubango, Quilemba Matala Municipality: – Capelongo, Matala, Mulondo; Micosse Quilengues Municipality: – Dinde, Impulo, Quilengues Quipungo Municipality: – Quipungo; Cainda, Hombo (Ombo), Thicongo, Thicungo

Sports Estádio de Militar Huíla, a multi-use stadium in Huila

Demographics

As of 2013, the province had a population of 2,609,486 people. The original inhabitants of the area were Khoisan, but only a few residual groups remain today, ousted from pastoral land by other groups. In some areas they represent under 2% of the population. Most pastoral farmers in the province are known Nyaneka-Khumbi, but do not form a whole ethnic group. A significant ethnic group in the province is the Mwila, who originally inhabited the plateau areas.

Favored by the relatively mild climate, there was a relatively strong colonization by Portuguese immigrants who sometimes mixed with the local population. This led to expansion and diversification of agriculture at the same time, but also to a growth of cities and towns. However, the influx of IDPs in the thousands during the war severely affected the province. During the war, a considerable number of Ovimbundu fled to the highlands of the province of Huíla. In some areas they now represent some 37% of the population, with the largest concentration in the central highlands. There is now also a much smaller number of Bakongo who had been assimilated from the Congo, and some settled in the province upon their return. The Heroro represent about 0.5% of the population.

List of governors of Huila

Name Years in office Emílio Braz 1975–1976 Belarmino Sabugosa Van-Dúnem 1976–1978 Nazário Vital 1978–1979 Maj. Miguel João Luís Ivady 1979–1981 Mariano da Costa Garcia Puku 1981–1983 Rafael Sapilinha Sambalanga 1983–1986 Lopo Fortunato Ferreira do Nascimento 1986–1990 Dumilde das Chagas Simões Rangel 1990–1995 Kundi Paihama 1995–1999 Francisco José Ramos da Cruz 1999–2008 Isaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos 2008–2012 João Marcelino Tyipinge 2012–2018 Luís da Fonseca Nunes 2018–2021Nuno Bernabé Mahapi Dala2021–

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