Namibe Province is aprovince ofAngola. UnderPortuguese rule it was theMoçâmedes District. It has an area of 57,091 km2 and had a 2014 census population of 495,326.[1] The port and city ofMoçâmedes is the capital of the province with a population of 250,000 in 2014.Iona National Park lies within the province.
From its foundation by the Portuguese in 1840 and until 1985, the area was known as Moçâmedes (also spelled "Mossâmedes").[3] The current name of the province is derived from theNamib 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 theBero andGiraul River severely affecting roads and people in Namibe,Huila andBenguela provinces.[4] A reported 20 people in Namibe Province lost their lives during the flood.[5]
Namibe Province covers an area of 57,091 km2, much of which is desert. The capital of the province is the city ofMoçâmedes, with the second city beingTômbua or Tómbwa (formerly Porto Alexandre). In the Namib Desert can be seen the rareWelwitschia mirabilis, "a strange plant with a giant root", and also theIona National Park.[6]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 ofsharks,turtles,mosasaurs,[7]plesiosaurs andsauropods have been discovered.[8]
Namibe Province had a population of 495,326 according to the 2014 census.[1] The desert is sparsely inhabited, but is inhabited byHerero groups (vaKuval, Ova-Himba) and smallKhoisan groups (Kwisi, Kwepe).[3]
Agriculture is the main source of income in Namibe Province, the principal crops beingcitrus 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 ofgold,copper,[10]manganese,chromium,tin,lignite andmarble. TheYuri Gagarin Airport and the Commercial Port of Moçâmedes, are the two main centres for transport for the import and export of products.
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