Angola

Angola, a country on the west coast of Africa, extending from Cape Lopez de Gonsalvo to St. Felipe de Benguela. The name applies to all the Portuguese W. African possessions from the Congo to the Cunene. The Portuguese explorer, Diego Cano, discovered the coast in 1484. The native name for the district is Dongo. Near the sea the land is flat and barren, but the interior is mountainous with rich and well-watered valleys, the chief rivers being the Kwango, Cuanza, Bengar, and Danea. Owing to elevation and the prevalence of the trade winds the climate is fairly healthy. Gum, wax, ivory, sugar, millet, rice, yams, mandioc, and fruits are the chief produce, and considerable mineral wealth must exist. The capital is St. Paul de Loanda, built 1578.