Uíge


Uíge, formerly Carmona, is a provincial capital city in northwestern Angola, with a population of 322,531, and a municipality, with a population of 519,196, located in the province of the same name. It grew from a small market centre in 1945 to become a city in 1956.

Name

Uíge was renamed Vila Marechal Carmona in 1955 after the former Portuguese President Óscar Carmona, renamed simply Carmona after it became a city, but changed back to Uíge in 1975.

History

During Portuguese occupation it was a major center for coffee production in the 1950s. The city was the nerve center of rebel activity against Portuguese occupation. Consequently, the city faced frequent guerrilla war between Portuguese forces and the National Front for the Liberation of Angola.
It had the worst known ever outbreak of the Marburg virus in 2005.

Demographics

In 2010 it had a population of 119,815. In 2014 the population was 322,531.