Cuito Cuanavale
Encyclopedia
Cuito Cuanavale is a town
and municipality
in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola
. The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name.
It covers an area
of 35610 square kilometres (13,749.1 sq mi) and its estimated population
as of 2006 is 65,441 inhabitants. Cuito Cuanavale is bordered to the north by the municipality of Luchazes
, to the east by the municipality of Mavinga
, to the south by the municipality of Nancova
, and to the west by the municipalities of Menongue
and Chitembo
The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the Angolan Civil War
and the South African Border War
, with the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
from 1987-1989 being one of the largest land battles in Africa since World War II
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and municipality
Municipalities of Angola
The following is the list of municipalities of Angola, grouped by province.Angola contains 18 províncias which are divided into 163 municípios ....
in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name.
It covers an area
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
of 35610 square kilometres (13,749.1 sq mi) and its estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
as of 2006 is 65,441 inhabitants. Cuito Cuanavale is bordered to the north by the municipality of Luchazes
Luchazes
Luchazes is a municipality in Moxico province, Angola. As of 2004, more than 1,000 families spontaneously returned from Zambia, causing serious humanitarian issues....
, to the east by the municipality of Mavinga
Mavinga
Mavinga is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango Province in Angola....
, to the south by the municipality of Nancova
Nancova
Nancova is a city of the province of Cuando Cubango, in Angola....
, and to the west by the municipalities of Menongue
Menongue
Menongue is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango Province in Angola.It is the terminus of the southern railway from Namibe.-History:Menongue, formerly Serpa Pinto, was originally named for Alexandre Alberto da Rocha de Serpa Pinto, a late 19th-century Portuguese explorer of the interior of...
and Chitembo
Chitembo
Chitembo is a town and municipality in Bié Province in Angola....
The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the Angolan Civil War
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
and the South African Border War
South African Border War
The South African Border War, commonly referred to as the Angolan Bush War in South Africa, was a conflict that took place from 1966 to 1989 in South-West Africa and Angola between South Africa and its allied forces on the one side and the Angolan government, South-West Africa People's...
, with the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1987/88 was an important episode in the Angolan Civil War . Between 9 September and 7 October 1987, the Angolan Army , in an attempt to finally subdue the Angolan insurgent movement UNITA in south-eastern Angola, was decisively repelled in a series of battles at the...
from 1987-1989 being one of the largest land battles in Africa since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.