Uíge (province)
Encyclopedia
Uíge one of the eighteen Provinces of Angola
, is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its capital city is of the same name
. Municipalities within the province include Zombo
, Quimbele
, Damba
, Mucaba
, Bungu
, Macocola
, Bembe
, Buengas
, Sanza Pombo, Alto Cauale
, Puri
, Negage
, Quitexe, Ambuila
and Songo
.
Uige Province was one of the hardest-hit areas of Angola
during the 26-year long civil war. Large segments of the population were displaced, and the infrastructure
was severely damaged.
Beginning in October 2004 and continuing into 2005, Uige Province was the centre of an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a disease closely related to Ebola
. It was caused by Marburg virus which is an African RNA virus that causes green monkey disease. Now thought to be under control, there were 374 cases with 88% deaths. According to the United Nations
, it was the world's worst epidemic of any kind of hemorrhagic fever.
was during a long period of time rather marginal. Things changed incisively when the Portuguese started in the 19th century to conquer and occupy the territory of what at present is Angola. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Kongo kingdom still existed on paper, and the court in Mbanza Kongo was maintained, but had lost any effective power.
In the early part of 20th century the province was on a decline due to its inhospitable terrain and poor accessibility. The situation changed entirely when the Portuguese discovered that soil and climate were favourable to coffee production. The Uíge province (then called "district") became Angola’s major centre for coffee
production in the 1950s. While part of the production came from European (mostly Portuguese) owned plantations, most producers were Bakongo smallholders; in both cased, they relied on forced or "contract" labour from the Ovimbundu
. Its market centre of Uige town, the district capital, prospered and was designated a city in 1956. To encourage the principle of national integration with Portugal, many towns in Angola were renamed during Portuguese colonial rule, including the provincial capital of Uíge town, which was renamed Vila Marechal Carmona ("Marshal Carmona Town") after Marshal Óscar Carmona
, the former President of Portugal, later simplified as Carmona.
In the 1950s, the Bakongo people were among the forerunners in the independence movement. For part of them, the purpose was to restore their kingdom, but their majority came out in favour of Angola as a whole. They formed first a regional movement, Uniao das Populações do Norte de Angola (union of the people of Northern Angola), then baptized União Nacional das Populações de Angola (union of Angolan peoples), and finally the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola; FNLA), which became one of the three Angolan anti-colonial guerrilla movements fighting the Portuguese forces, during the 1960s.
During the Portuguese rule, the province, and in particular the Uige City, became the haven of rebel activity (its inaccessible wilderness providing the cover for such activity) of the rebels received active support from the leader of its neighbouring country of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko
. Rebels of the Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) had even occupied the province for short spells during renewed civil war in 1990s. It was only in 2002 there was peace in the region.
Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) lobbied in the US Congress and the White House (spending as much as US$ I million) in USA through many lobbyists who were successful in repealing the Clark Amendment which resulted in USA supplying small arms to the rebels. The Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA) was also successful in securing recognition of the Bill Clinton Administration.
and on the south by Beu
town. The land route to enter the province is from Luanda through the province of Benga
. Roads are being built over the hilly terrain to connect with Congo. The main road in the north is the one which crosses the border at Kizenga to reach Kinshasa
. A highway connects to Castilo and further on to Luanda. Another southwest highway connects with the provinces of Zaire and Malanje
.
The province is characterized by pastoral terrain and rich soil, with an area of 58698 square kilometres (22,663.4 sq mi). It has a tropical climate with an annual average temperature reported as 24 °C (75.2 °F).
Minerals
The Movoviao –Tetelo-Bembe copper exploration project is located in the province at the border with the Congo Republic. The project has been taken up under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2008 between Hansa Resources Limited of Canada
and Angala Petroleum Services (S.A.R.L). Under this MOU, the Movio copper mine, which was operational between 1937 and 1961 as an open pit and underground mine, is being revived, in addition to the Bembe and Tetelco deposits. Several other minerals, such as cobalt, gold, lead, manganese, silver, vanadium, and zinc, have also been found in this region.
of approximately 500,000. In ethnic terms, its inhabitants are almost exclusively different groups of Bakongo
. Their language is Kikongo, but many also speak Portuguese. A majority of the people is Catholic
, but there is also a strong Baptist community.
and on the south by Beu
town. Since the Forest Reserve near Beu village is not declared the assistance provided to maintain it is lacking. Hence, the reserve has poor infrastructure and guidance. Among the large mammals, elephants could be sighted here.
, bean
s, cassava
, grain
, peanut
s, cotton
, and wood
. Plantation and production of coffee contributed largely to the economy of the province and also Angola during colonial times. Coffee production (in Uige, Luanda, Cuanza Norte and Cuanza Sul provinces of Angola) was started by the Portuguese in 1830s and soon became a cash crop; the popular crop grown was robusta coffee (in its 2000 and odd plantations in Angola, owned mostly by the Portuguese). It was even one of the largest coffee producing country in Africa, in the 1970s. However, the civil war for independence from the Portuguese rule devastated the coffee plantations and many coffee agronomists migrated to Brazil
and the plantations became wild bushes. However, the rehabilitation of the plantation has started since 2000 but the investment required to replace the 40 year old unproductive plants are estimated to be US$ 230 million. With opening up of new roads industrial activity in the province is taking shape.
Important mineralogical resources which help the economy include copper
, silver
, and cobalt
. Diamonds are also found in the alluvial deposits in the province.
and Negage Airport
at Negage
.
S. Jose church built in the 18th century is also located near Encope rock outcrop. A fort constructed in the 20th century is also located next to the church.
Provinces of Angola
Angola is divided into eighteen provinces:-See also:* ISO 3166-2:AO, the ISO codes for Angola....
, is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its capital city is of the same name
Uíge
Uíge is a provincial capital city in northwestern Angola located in the province of the same name. It grew from a small market centre in 1945 to becoming a city in 1956.-Name:...
. Municipalities within the province include Zombo
Zombo, Angola
Zombo is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Quimbele
Quimbele
Quimbele is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Damba
Damba
The damba is a species of cichlid fish from several river basins in northwestern Madagascar. This includes populations in far northern Madagascar that some have speculated represented an undescribed species, but a comparison of specimens did not support this, instead maintaining them as part of P....
, Mucaba
Mucaba
Mucaba is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Bungu
Bungu
The Bungu are an ethnic and linguistic group based in the Chunya District of Mbeya Region in south-western Tanzania. In 1987 the Bungu population was estimated to number 36,000....
, Macocola
Macocola
Macocola is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Bembe
Bembe, Angola
Bembe is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Buengas
Buengas
Buengas is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
, Sanza Pombo, Alto Cauale
Alto Cauale
Alto Cauale is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola.The municipality covers an area of 3 064 km ² and as of 2006 had an estimated population of 104,000. It is border to the north by Sanz Pombo, the east by the municipality of Massango, the south by the municipality of Calandula, and...
, Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
, Negage
Negage
Negage is a town and municipality of the Uíge province in Angola....
, Quitexe, Ambuila
Ambuila
Ambuila is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola....
and Songo
Songo
Songo may refer to:* Songo music, a type of contemporary Cuban music originating in Havana* Songo people, of northern Angola* Songo-salsa, a style of music that blends Spanish rapping and hip hop beats with salsa music and songo- Places :...
.
Uige Province was one of the hardest-hit areas of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
during the 26-year long civil war. Large segments of the population were displaced, and the infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
was severely damaged.
Beginning in October 2004 and continuing into 2005, Uige Province was the centre of an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a disease closely related to Ebola
Ebola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
. It was caused by Marburg virus which is an African RNA virus that causes green monkey disease. Now thought to be under control, there were 374 cases with 88% deaths. According to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, it was the world's worst epidemic of any kind of hemorrhagic fever.
History
During the Middle Ages, the Uige Province was the heartland of the Kongo Kingdom. The Bakongo North and South of the Kongo river were all part of this Kingdom, a centralized monarchy which for given periods of time also dominated part of the Ambundu further to the South. The kings lived in the city of Mbanza-Kongo which had a population of about 50,000 in the 16th century. They ruled with great authority in the region for several centuries. The knowledge of metallurgy among the Bakongo was renowned as they became famous as iron blacksmiths; their king was even called the “Blacksmith King”. Their reign was first strengthened by the arrival Portuguese priests who lived at the king's court and taught religion as well as literacy; the interaction with the Portuguese stronghold of LuandaLuanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
was during a long period of time rather marginal. Things changed incisively when the Portuguese started in the 19th century to conquer and occupy the territory of what at present is Angola. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Kongo kingdom still existed on paper, and the court in Mbanza Kongo was maintained, but had lost any effective power.
In the early part of 20th century the province was on a decline due to its inhospitable terrain and poor accessibility. The situation changed entirely when the Portuguese discovered that soil and climate were favourable to coffee production. The Uíge province (then called "district") became Angola’s major centre for coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
production in the 1950s. While part of the production came from European (mostly Portuguese) owned plantations, most producers were Bakongo smallholders; in both cased, they relied on forced or "contract" labour from the Ovimbundu
Ovimbundu
The Southern Mbundu, now generally called Ovimbundu , are an ethnic group who lives on the Bié Plateau of central Angola and in the coastal strip west of these highlands. As the largest ethnic group in Angola, they make up almost 40 percent of the country's population...
. Its market centre of Uige town, the district capital, prospered and was designated a city in 1956. To encourage the principle of national integration with Portugal, many towns in Angola were renamed during Portuguese colonial rule, including the provincial capital of Uíge town, which was renamed Vila Marechal Carmona ("Marshal Carmona Town") after Marshal Óscar Carmona
Óscar Carmona
António Óscar Fragoso Carmona, ComC, GCA, ComSE, was the 11th President of Portugal , having been Minister of War in 1923.-Political Origin:...
, the former President of Portugal, later simplified as Carmona.
In the 1950s, the Bakongo people were among the forerunners in the independence movement. For part of them, the purpose was to restore their kingdom, but their majority came out in favour of Angola as a whole. They formed first a regional movement, Uniao das Populações do Norte de Angola (union of the people of Northern Angola), then baptized União Nacional das Populações de Angola (union of Angolan peoples), and finally the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola; FNLA), which became one of the three Angolan anti-colonial guerrilla movements fighting the Portuguese forces, during the 1960s.
During the Portuguese rule, the province, and in particular the Uige City, became the haven of rebel activity (its inaccessible wilderness providing the cover for such activity) of the rebels received active support from the leader of its neighbouring country of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...
. Rebels of the Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) had even occupied the province for short spells during renewed civil war in 1990s. It was only in 2002 there was peace in the region.
Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) lobbied in the US Congress and the White House (spending as much as US$ I million) in USA through many lobbyists who were successful in repealing the Clark Amendment which resulted in USA supplying small arms to the rebels. The Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA) was also successful in securing recognition of the Bill Clinton Administration.
Geography
Uige Province is located in northeastern Angola. It is bounded on the north by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the west by the Zadi River, east by the Beu RiverBeu River
The Beu River or Beiu River is a tributary of the Nera River in Romania. The upper reach of the river is also known as Beu Sec River...
and on the south by Beu
BEU
BEU is a three letter acronym that may stand for:*British Empire Union, a historical union formed in the United Kingdom during WWI to support British goods.*Bank Employees Union...
town. The land route to enter the province is from Luanda through the province of Benga
Benga
Benga may refer to:* Benga tree, another name for the Indian Kino Tree Ethnonym:* Benga people, an indigenous ethnic group of Equatorial Guinea* Benga language, spoke by the Benga people...
. Roads are being built over the hilly terrain to connect with Congo. The main road in the north is the one which crosses the border at Kizenga to reach Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
. A highway connects to Castilo and further on to Luanda. Another southwest highway connects with the provinces of Zaire and Malanje
Malanje
Malanje is the capital city of Malanje Province in Angola with a population of approximately 222,000. Nearby is the spectacular Calandula waterfalls, 85 km from the city. These falls are 105 metres high and their great width makes them the main tourist attraction in the region. It is a...
.
The province is characterized by pastoral terrain and rich soil, with an area of 58698 square kilometres (22,663.4 sq mi). It has a tropical climate with an annual average temperature reported as 24 °C (75.2 °F).
Minerals
The Movoviao –Tetelo-Bembe copper exploration project is located in the province at the border with the Congo Republic. The project has been taken up under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2008 between Hansa Resources Limited of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Angala Petroleum Services (S.A.R.L). Under this MOU, the Movio copper mine, which was operational between 1937 and 1961 as an open pit and underground mine, is being revived, in addition to the Bembe and Tetelco deposits. Several other minerals, such as cobalt, gold, lead, manganese, silver, vanadium, and zinc, have also been found in this region.
Demographics
Uige has a populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of approximately 500,000. In ethnic terms, its inhabitants are almost exclusively different groups of Bakongo
Kongo people
The Bakongo or the Kongo people , also sometimes referred to as Kongolese or Congolese, is a Bantu ethnic group which lives along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire to Luanda, Angola...
. Their language is Kikongo, but many also speak Portuguese. A majority of the people is Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, but there is also a strong Baptist community.
Flora and fauna
The province's Beu Forest Reserve covers an area of 1400 sqkm. It is bounded on the north by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the west by Zadi River, east by the Beu RiverBeu River
The Beu River or Beiu River is a tributary of the Nera River in Romania. The upper reach of the river is also known as Beu Sec River...
and on the south by Beu
BEU
BEU is a three letter acronym that may stand for:*British Empire Union, a historical union formed in the United Kingdom during WWI to support British goods.*Bank Employees Union...
town. Since the Forest Reserve near Beu village is not declared the assistance provided to maintain it is lacking. Hence, the reserve has poor infrastructure and guidance. Among the large mammals, elephants could be sighted here.
Water resources
The province is drained by many rivers. Cuilo river flows is a popular attraction, as is the Sanzo Mbombo falls. The lagoon of Luzamba and Muvoio and the lagoon of Sacapate are good for swimming and bathing. Other important rivers in the province are the Zadi River, the Lucala River, the Dange River and the Luvulu River. Only small boats can ply these rivers.Economy
The economy of the province is basically of traditional agricultural farming of coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
. Plantation and production of coffee contributed largely to the economy of the province and also Angola during colonial times. Coffee production (in Uige, Luanda, Cuanza Norte and Cuanza Sul provinces of Angola) was started by the Portuguese in 1830s and soon became a cash crop; the popular crop grown was robusta coffee (in its 2000 and odd plantations in Angola, owned mostly by the Portuguese). It was even one of the largest coffee producing country in Africa, in the 1970s. However, the civil war for independence from the Portuguese rule devastated the coffee plantations and many coffee agronomists migrated to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and the plantations became wild bushes. However, the rehabilitation of the plantation has started since 2000 but the investment required to replace the 40 year old unproductive plants are estimated to be US$ 230 million. With opening up of new roads industrial activity in the province is taking shape.
Important mineralogical resources which help the economy include copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, and cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
. Diamonds are also found in the alluvial deposits in the province.
Transportation
There are two airports in the province, Uíge Airport at UígeUíge
Uíge is a provincial capital city in northwestern Angola located in the province of the same name. It grew from a small market centre in 1945 to becoming a city in 1956.-Name:...
and Negage Airport
Negage Airport
Negage Airport is an airport serving Negage, is a town and municipality in Uíge Province in Angola. It is was formerly a Portuguese military airbase.-Facilities:...
at Negage
Negage
Negage is a town and municipality of the Uíge province in Angola....
.
Attractions
Some of the important monuments in the province are the tomb of Mekabango, and the tomb of king M’Bianda-N Gunga, ruler of the resistance movement.S. Jose church built in the 18th century is also located near Encope rock outcrop. A fort constructed in the 20th century is also located next to the church.