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 2024 census population of 815,708.Citypopulation.de Population of provinces and municipalities in Angola The port and city of Moçâmedes is the capital of the province with a population of 345,000 in 2024. 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 is a fresh-water oasis 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 Tômbua Municipality: – Iona (Yona), São Martinho dos Tigres (), Tômbua Virei Municipality: – Cainde, Virei

Demographics Namibe Province had a population of 815,708 according to the 2024 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 Name Years in office Amândio José Rogado 1975–1976 António Lopes da Câmara 1976–1978 José Ilídio Chilecasse Manjenje 1978–1979 Marcelino Dias 1979 Rafael Sapilinha Sambalanga 1979–1983 Fernando Faustino Muteka 1983–1988 Domingos José 1988–1991 Joaquim da Silva Matias 1991–1999 Salomão José Luheto Xirimbimbi 1999–2002 Álvaro Manuel de Boavida Neto 2002–2009 Cândida Celeste da Silva 2009–2012 Isaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos 2012–2013 Rui Luís Falcão Pinto de Andrade 2013–2017 Carlos da Rocha Cruz 2017–2019Augusto Archer de Sousa Mangueira2019–

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