Uíge

7°37′S 15°03′E / 7.617°S 15.050°E / -7.617; 15.050

Uíge
Wizidi
Carmona
Municipality and town
Main street in Uíge
Main street in Uíge
Uíge is located in Angola
Uíge
Uíge
Location in Angola
Coordinates: 7°37′S 15°03′E / 7.617°S 15.050°E / -7.617; 15.050
Country Angola
ProvinceUíge Province
Founded1946
Area
 • Total1,188 km2 (459 sq mi)
Elevation
858 m (2,815 ft)
Population
 (mid 2020)[1]
 • Total616,605
 • Density520/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
ClimateAw

Uíge (Kongo: Wizidi[2]), formerly Carmona, is a provincial capital city in northwestern Angola, with a population of 322,531 (2014 census),[3] and a municipality, with a population of 519,196 (2014 census), located in the province of the same name. It grew from a small market centre in 1945 to become a city in 1956. It is serviced by the Uíge Airport with daily flights to Luanda.

Name[edit]

Uíge was renamed[4] Vila Marechal Carmona in 1955 after the former Portuguese President Óscar Carmona, renamed simply Carmona after it became a city, but changed back to Uíge in 1975.

History[edit]

During Portuguese occupation it was a major center for coffee production in the 1950s.[5] The city was the nerve center of rebel activity against Portuguese occupation. Consequently, the city faced frequent guerrilla war between Portuguese forces and the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola; FNLA).[6]

It had the worst known ever outbreak of the Marburg virus in 2005.[citation needed]

Demographics[edit]

In 2010 it had a population of 119,815. In 2014 the population was 322,531. Projected to be the fourth fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.92% growth.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of provinces and municipalities in Angola
  2. ^ "Cidade do Uíge celebra 98 anos de existência na quarta-feira". ANGONOTÍCIAS (in Portuguese). 27 June 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ Citypopulation.de Population of the major cities in Angola
  4. ^ Eribo, Festus (1997). Press freedom and communication in Africa. Africa World Press. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-86543-551-3.
  5. ^ "Uige". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  6. ^ "City councils of Angola". Statoids. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
  7. ^ "Ranked: The World's Fastest Growing Cities". virtual capitalist. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.