TheKongo people (or Bakongo) occupied the valley of theCongo (or Zaire) River in the mid-thirteenth century, and formed theKingdom of Kongo, which existed from 1390 until 1891 as an independent state, and until 1914 as a vassal state of theKingdom of Portugal.[8] In 1914, the Kongo monarchy was abolished after Portuguese suppression of several revolts.[9] From 1885,Portuguese Angola included the District of Congo, which was split in 1919 into the districts ofCabinda and Zaire, respectively north and south of the Congo/Zaire River.[10]
M'Banza Congo (formerly São Salvador do Congo) is the provincial capital. The city is located around 481 kilometres (299 mi) ofLuanda and 314 kilometres (195 mi) ofUíge.
Zaire Province has two seasons: from November to May, the rainy season; and from June to October, the dry season. The predominant types of weather in the province aretropical wet climate andsemi-arid. The temperature in the area varies between 24 °C and 26 °C.[13]
Fauna and Flora of the region are very varied, withsavannah and denserainforests.[14] The main rivers of Zaire Province are:Congo,Mbridge, Lufunde, Zadi, Cuilo and Buenga.[15]
The national language spoken in the province isKikongo and the predominant ethnic group in the region isBakongo.[7]
According to preliminary data from the General Census of Population and Housing conducted in May 2014, Zaire Province has currently 567,225 inhabitants, corresponding to 2.3 percent of the Angolan population. In this province, reside 285,333 women and 281,892 men, with 26.1% of the population living in rural areas and the majority, 73.9%, living in urban areas. The data also point to a population density of 15 inhabitants per square kilometre (39/sq mi).[16]
The Zaire Provincial Government consists of Governor José Joana André, and 3 Deputy Governors. Ângela Maria Botelho de Carvalho Diogo is the Deputy Governor for the area of Technical Services and Infrastructures; Alberto Maria Sabino is the Deputy Governor for the Economic Sector; and Rogério Eduardo Zabila is the Deputy Governor for Political and Social Sector.[17]
Zaire Province is served by three airports.Soyo Airport andMbanza Congo Airport have paved runways and regular flights to Luanda.N'zeto Airport has a grass strip runway and is used for private flights.
The city celebrations take place on July 25 in M'Banza Congo, and on April 5 in Soyo.[7]
Province typical dishes are sacafolha (made with cassava leaves), dishes made with fresh and dried fish accompanied by bombó funge, and dishes with game meat.[7]
^abCarlos Alberto Jr. (August 20, 2008)."Who are the Angolans" (in Portuguese). Diário da África. Archived fromthe original on May 18, 2015. RetrievedMay 14, 2015.
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