What you need to know about Lobito

Lobito is a costal city in the Benguela Province, situated in the south of Angola  approximately 30 kilometers north of Benguela city , the capital of Benguela Province.The population is about 324,050 (2014) in an area of 3,648 km². 

The climate in Lobito is called a desert climate. … The average annual temperature is 23.9 °C in Lobito. In a year, the average rainfall is 304 mm.

The official language of Angola is Portuguese, so it is portuguese spoken in Lobito as well. in addition to Portugues  the african language Umbundu is spoken there.

The city of Lobito is about 500 km away from Luanda the Capital city, it take approximately 6 and 7 hour by car, or approx. 1 hour by flight, and to note that the is an airport in the next town and Taag the national Airline has daily fights to this city.

Despite its exotic beauty Lobito is not primarily known as a major tourist destination, but it does have a big potential to become a tourist destination for Angolans and international tourist, this City is well  known for its beautiful beaches Praia da Restinga which is very popular among the locals with tipical beach restaurants and night life, and also the Egito praia which is situated about 100 km from the city center, its also a gem and offers pure nature, the name Egito Praia was given due to its format ” Pyramide “and also for its historical meaning, during the slavery period the Egito praia was used a slavery port where the portuguese use to ship out slaves to other parts of the world.

The city has seen some infrastructure development over the years, particularly around the port area, and also the are many new so called “Centralidade” Housing project created by the government to cover the housing deficit that the country has been suffering for, However, like many cities in Angola, it may face challenges in terms of overall infrastructure and urban development. According to studies the Lobito has approximately 300,000 inhabitants. However, it’s worth noting that the population figures may have changed since then due to demographic trends and urban development, furthermore the so-called Lobitangas are the native people of Lobito. some say that the natives of this city live mostly in the neighborhood of lobito Velho, and in this locality, people live mostly from fishing. in addition to fishing, the lubitangas also produce handicrafts such as mats and baskets, some work in the salt production industries and many are street vendors, the most used term is “quitandeira” which is also a symbol of the Angolan woman.

Lobito has a rich history, with its development dating back to the colonial era. It was established as a port town by the Portuguese in the late 19th century and became an important link in the transportation of goods to and from the interior parts of Angola, also the  existence of the bay of the same name having been chosen as the sea terminus of the Benguela railway to the far interior, passing through Luau to Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.  The municipality consists of the communes of Canjala, Egipto Praia and Lobito.
The city was founded on September 2, 1913 and holds an annual celebration for the occasion called “festas da cidade do Lobito”  or “Festas do Mar”.

Currency

The national currency used in this country is the Kwanza named after the country biggest river. As it is with many african country the country faces high inflation in the moment which is also and the kwanza is one of the weakest in the continent however the new goverment is trying to fight this plague by fighting corruption and implementing laws to attract foreign investment. for Kwanza is AOA, and the currency symbol is K.
Coins: KZ1, KZ2, Kz5, 10,50.
Notes: Kz10, Kz50, Kz100, Kz200, Kz500, Kz1000, Kz2000.
Central bank: National Bank of Angola.