M'banza-Kongo | |
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Municipality and town | |
São Salvador in 1745
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Location in Angola | |
Coordinates: 6°16′04″S 14°14′53″E / 6.26778°S 14.24806°ECoordinates: 6°16′04″S 14°14′53″E / 6.26778°S 14.24806°E | |
Country | Angola |
Province | Zaire Province |
Founded | c. 1390 |
Elevation | 408 m (1,339 ft) |
Population (2008) | |
• Total | 83,400 |
Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
Climate | Aw |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (iv), (vi) |
Reference | 1511 |
Inscription | 2017 (41st Session) |
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M'banza-Kongo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈbɐ̃zɐ], [ĩˈbɐ̃zɐ], [mɨˈβɐ̃zɐ] or [miˈβɐ̃zɐ ˈkõɡu], known as São Salvador in Portuguese from 1570 to 1975), is the capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. M'banza Kongo (properly Mbanza Koongo or Kôngo in most acceptable orthographies) was founded some time before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1483 and was the capital of the Kilukeni dynasty ruling at that time. The site was temporarily abandoned during civil wars in the 17th century. It lies close to Angola's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located at around 6°16′0″S 14°15′0″E / 6.26667°S 14.25000°E and sits on top of an impressive flat-topped mountain, sometimes called Mongo a Kaila (mountain of division) because recent legends recall that the king created the clans of the kingdom and sent them out from there. In the valley to the south runs the Luezi River. In 2017, Mbanza Kongo was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
M'banza-Kongo was once the home of the Manikongo, the ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo, which at its peak reached from southern Africa's Atlantic coast to the Nkisi River.