Benguela

Benguela: city hall

Benguela, also spelled Benguella, formerly São Filipe de Benguela, city, western Angola. The city was founded in 1617 around São Filipe fortress and was one of the bases for Portuguese expansion in Africa. Benguela is the political and economic coordinating centre for the activities of the hinterland to the east and is linked by rail via the Benguela Railway with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe. It exports agricultural products, although most foreign trade is handled by Lobito, 18 miles (29 km) north. Coffee, corn (maize), tobacco, sugarcane, and sisal are grown in the agricultural hinterland, and deposits of manganese are situated to the south of the city. Benguela’s local industries include sugar milling, fish processing, and the manufacture of soap, tools, and pottery. Government Hall and the Mombaka Hotel are the dominant buildings. Pop. (2004 est.) 134,500; (2014) 555,124.