Namibe (province)

Namibe
Province
Olive trees in Namibe Province
Namibe, province of Angola
Country	Angola
Capital	Namibe
Area
• Total	57,091 km2 (22,043 sq mi)
Population (2014 census)
• Total	471,613
• Density	8.3/km2 (21/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	AO-NAM
Website	www.namibe.gov.ao

Namibe Province is a province of Angola. Under Portuguese rule it was the Moçâmedes District. It has an area of 57,091 km² and had a 2014 census population of 471,613. The port and city of Namibe is the capital of the province with a population of 132,900 in 2004. Iona National Park lies within the province.

Since its foundation by the Portuguese in 1840 and until 1985, the area was known as "Moçâmedes" (also spelled "Mossâmedes"). The current name of the province is derived from the Namib Desert, lying predominantly in Namibia; the northernmost part, however, extended into the province of Namibe. Extensive flooding in the province occurred on April 5, 2001, with the Bero and Giraul River severely affecting roads and people in Namibe, Huila and Benguela provinces. A reported 20 people in Namibe Province lost their lives during the flood.

Namibe Province covers an area of 57,091 km², much of which is desert. The capital of the province is the city of Namibe, with the second city being Tômbua or Tómbwa (formerly Porto Alexandre). In the Namib Desert can be seen the rare Welwitschia mirabilis, "a strange plant with a giant root", and also the Iona National Park.Lake Arco, a fresh-water oasis, is a stunning sight in the middle of the desert. Near the coast of the Bentiaba desert and in Iona National Park, Late Cretaceous fossils of sharks, turtles, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs and sauropods have been discovered.