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Province of Angola

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 495,326. The port and city of Moçâmedes is the capital of the province with a population of 250,000 in 2014. Iona National Park lies within the province.

From 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 Moçâmedes, 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.

Namibe Province had a population of 495,326 according to the 2014 census. The desert is sparsely inhabited, but is inhabited by Herero groups (vaKuval, Ova Himba) and small Khoisan groups (Kwisi, Kwepe). manganese, chromium, tin, lignite and marble. The Yuri Gagarin Airport and the Commercial Port of Moçâmedes, are the two main centres for transport for the import and export of products.