Luanda is home to more Portuguese speakers than any other capital city on Earth.
Nicknames for Luanda include the “New El Dorado” and “Paris of Africa”. A more recognized moniker for Angola is the “Kuwait of Africa” due to the country’s petroleum oil production.
Research website numbeo ranks Luanda in the bottom four compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Luanda scored poorly on index factors such as pollution (last place), safety (most dangerous 7%), purchasing power (lowest 11%), property price to income ratio (highest 23%) and cost of living (most expensive 26%).
The variability of Luanda’s rainfall is among the severest anywhere, ranging from an average 136 inches (3,454 millimeters) in April to under one inch (25.4 millimeters) from June to September.
Luanda was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site where a kayaker navigated the Kwanza River in 32 days and 12 hours, the fastest time ever by kayak or canoe.
From an international trade perspective, Angola exported an estimated US$35.6 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include crude oil (90.9% of Angola’s global total), petroleum gas (5.3%), diamonds (1.4%) then refined petroleum oils (1.2%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Luanda, Angola: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: BPC HQ Building, Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto (monument) and Palácio de Ferro (palace)
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Luanda, Angola.
- Maria Borges, model (born Oct. 28, 1992)
- Anselmo Ralph, singer (born Mar. 12, 1981)
- William Carvalho, soccer player/footballer (born Apr. 7, 1992)
- Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (aka Nandó), politician (born Mar. 5, 1950)
- Koren Grieveson, chef (born Nov. 4, 1971)
- Hoji Fortuna, actor (born Sep. 4, 1974)
- Sharam Diniz, model (born Mar. 2, 1991)
- Rui Goulart, actor & director (born May 16, 1962)
- Claudimar Neto, dancer (born Sep. 22, 1989)
- José Neto, actor (born Dec. 25, 1955)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Luanda resident: Luandan
Population: 2,776,168 (Luanda) at July 25, 2020
Density: 61,693 people per square mile (23,392 per square kilometer)
Population: 32,940,370 (Angola) at July 25, 2020
Density: 68 people per square mile (26 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Angola: 16.7 years old
Financial
GDP: US$203.4 billion for 2019 (Angola)
GDP per person: $6,752
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Luanda were unavailable.
Official currency used in Luanda: Angolan kwanza
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Africa: Angola.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Life Expectancy at Birth.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Fastest time to travel the Kwanza river by kaya/canoe.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Government of Angola | Luanda.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Angola.
Wikipedia, Luanda.
Wikipedia, Luanda Province.
WorldOMeter, Angola Population.
Angola gained its independence from Portugal on November 11, 1975. Angolans celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each November 11.
Occupying 45 square miles (116 square kilometers), about 2.8 million residents live within Luanda’s city limits.
At the country level, Angola’s land area covers 481,353 square miles (1,246,700 square kilometers). The nation’s population count was 32.9 million inhabitants as of July 2020.
Population density is more concentrated within Angola’s capital city averaging 61,693 Luandans per square mile (23,392 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Angola’s overall land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 68 people per square mile (26 per square kilometer).
