Angola's Citizens: What's In A Name?

Citizens of Angola are called Angolans. Angola is a country on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa. Angola has a population of 35,159,000 inhabitants as of 2024. The country is officially called the Republic of Angola.

The name Angola comes from the Portuguese colonial name Reino de Angola, which first appeared in a 1571 charter

The name Angola comes from the Portuguese colonial name "Reino de Angola", which translates to "Kingdom of Angola" in English. This name appeared as early as 1571 in a charter by Paulo Dias de Novais. The toponym was derived by the Portuguese from the title "ngola", held by the kings of Ndongo and Matamba.

The Kingdom of Ndongo was ruled by the ngolas, who acted as a monarch and ruling figurehead. The Kingdom started out as a vassal state to the Kingdom of Kongo but broke free in the early 1500s. The ngola who ruled the Kingdom of Ndongo would be appointed after an election process where various members of the ruling dynasty were considered to be the next king.

The Portuguese derived the name "Angola" from the title "ngola" and established their primary early trading post at Soyo, which is now the northernmost city in Angola apart from the Cabinda exclave. In 1575, Paulo Dias de Novais founded São Paulo de Loanda (Luanda) with a hundred families of settlers and four hundred soldiers. Benguela was fortified in 1587 and became a township in 1617.

The name Angola is derived from the title ngola, held by the kings of Ndongo and Matamba

The Kingdom of Ndongo was nominally a possession of the Kingdom of Kongo, but in the 16th century it was seeking greater independence. The last ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Ndongo moved east to the nearby Kingdom of Matamba, and continued to rule independently until 1741.

The Portuguese colonial name for Angola was Reino de Angola, or 'Kingdom of Angola', which appeared as early as Paulo Dias de Novais's 1571 charter. The toponym was derived by the Portuguese from the title ngola.

The use of the Portuguese language by indigenous Angolan groups dates back hundreds of years. In the Kongo kingdom, some were able to speak and read Portuguese as early as 1491. Portuguese colonial policies in the 1920s sought to make Portuguese the only language spoken in Angola. Portuguese is often the only language spoken in Luanda and in much of the interior extending beyond the city. In some areas, however, indigenous languages are used in daily life.

The Bantu-speaking people settled in Angola in the 6th century AD

The Bantu-speaking people, also known as the Proto-Bantu-speaking group, settled in Angola as part of the Bantu expansion, a major series of migrations that began around 4000 years ago. This expansion, which took place in at least two waves, saw the Proto-Bantu-speaking settlers displace, eliminate, or absorb pre-existing hunter-gatherer and pastoralist groups.

The Bantu expansion is believed to have reached Angola by the 6th century AD, with the migration of the Proto-Bantu-speaking people from West-Central Africa. This migration is thought to have originated in the highlands between Cameroon and Nigeria, with archaeological evidence indicating cultural continuity in the region from 3000 BC until the present.

The Proto-Bantu-speaking settlers brought with them new technologies, such as iron smelting and pottery-making, and as they settled in Angola, they began to develop distinct linguistic communities. The largest of these linguistic groups included the Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo, Chokwe, Kwanyama, and Ngangela.

The settlement of the Proto-Bantu-speaking people in Angola had a significant impact on the region's demographics and culture. Their arrival led to the displacement and assimilation of earlier inhabitants, and they introduced new agricultural practices and technologies. Over time, the Proto-Bantu-speaking people also interacted and intermarried with the indigenous populations, further shaping the cultural landscape of the region.

The Bantu expansion played a crucial role in shaping the ethnic and linguistic composition of Angola, and it set the stage for the development of powerful kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Kongo and the Kingdom of Ndongo, which flourished in the region in the following centuries.

The Kingdom of Kongo was the most powerful of the various kingdoms that formed in Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. The formation of Angola as a nation-state can be traced back to the Kingdom of Kongo, which was the hegemonic state of a number of other Kikongo-speaking kingdoms that flourished in and after the 14th century.

The Kingdom of Kongo was a powerful and centralised state in Central Africa, which covered parts of present-day Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and Gabon. The kingdom was founded in the 14th century and was located in the northern region of present-day Angola.

The Kingdom of Kongo was ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title Mwene Kongo, meaning "lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom". The kingdom consisted of several core provinces ruled by the Manikongo, but its sphere of influence extended to neighbouring kingdoms, such as Ngoyo, Kakongo, Loango, Ndongo, and Matamba, the latter two located in what is Angola today.

The kingdom's capital was Mbanza Kongo, located in present-day Angola, and the kingdom reached its greatest extent when it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south.

The Kingdom of Kongo was an independent state from c. 1390 to 1862, after which it became a vassal state of the Kingdom of Portugal until 1914. During its existence, the Kingdom of Kongo was involved in several wars and conflicts, including with the Portuguese and other neighbouring kingdoms.

The Kingdom of Kongo was also heavily involved in the slave trade, which contributed significantly to its wealth and power. However, the banning of the slave trade in the 19th century severely disrupted the kingdom's economy, and it gradually lost its influence to European settlers.

Today, Angola is a republic with a diverse and multicultural population, reflecting centuries of Portuguese influence and a variety of indigenous customs and traditions. While the Kingdom of Kongo is no longer officially recognised, its legacy can still be seen in the country's history, culture, and people.

The Kingdom of Ndongo was the largest state in central Africa

Citizens of Angola are called Angolans.

The Kingdom of Ndongo

The Kingdom of Ndongo, also known as Angola or Dongo, was an early-modern African state located in the highlands between the Lukala and Kwanza Rivers, in what is now Angola. It was the largest state in central Africa. The kingdom was founded by the Mbundu people, who used their artisan, blacksmithing, and agricultural skills to become influential traders in the region. They established massive farming communities, created unity through the veneration of ancestors and deities, and organized military strategies to fortify their borders and protect their people.

The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in the sixteenth century, with oral traditions describing its founder, Ngola Kiluanje (also known as Ngola Inene), as a migrant from the Kingdom of Kongo. Ndongo was one of several vassal states to the Kingdom of Kongo, but it was the most powerful among them, with its own king, called the Ngola. The kingdom was divided into political territories ruled by nobles called sobas, who paid tribute to the Ngola and fought for the kingdom during wartime.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Ndongo was Kabasa (Caculo Cabaça), located on the highlands near modern-day N'dalatando. This large town is estimated to have held up to 50,000 people in its densely populated district. The kingdom was composed mostly of free commoners, called ana murinda, with two groups of enslaved people: the ijiko or kijikos, and the abika or mubikas. Ndongo had stringent rules regarding slavery and the export of enslaved people, even interviewing every enslaved person marked for export to ensure their enslavement was legitimate.

The Kingdom of Ndongo had a sophisticated political structure, with the Ngola of Ndongo relying on various officials to carry out his orders. The most important position was that of the tendala, a chief advisor with the authority to rule in the Ngola's absence and manage day-to-day duties. The Ngola also had a group of bureaucrats, called the makotas, who helped manage the capitol and advise the king on important decisions.

In the sixteenth century, most of the regions in central Africa were united by the rulers of Ndongo, and the kingdom reached its height, stretching west to the Atlantic coast and south of the Cuanza River. However, Portugal had established a base in Luanda Island in 1575, and tensions between the two states eventually led to a series of conflicts known as the First Portuguese-Ndongo War. Despite assistance from the Kingdom of Kongo, Ndongo was ultimately defeated, and a peace treaty was signed in 1621.

The Kingdom of Ndongo continued to face challenges, including internal disputes and further conflicts with Portugal and its allies. Eventually, in the late seventeenth century, Ndongo revolted once more, but its fortress fell to the Portuguese army in 1671, effectively ending the kingdom's independence.

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