Cuito Cuanavale

Cuito Cuanavale
—  Municipality  —
Location in Angola (Cuando Cubango highlighted)
Coordinates: 15°10′S 19°10′E / 15.167°S 19.167°E / -15.167; 19.167Coordinates: 15°10′S 19°10′E / 15.167°S 19.167°E / -15.167; 19.167
Country	Angola
Province	Cuando Cubango
Area
- Total	35,610 km2 (13,749.1 sq mi)
Population
- Estimate (2006)	65,441
- Density	1.8/km2 (4.7/sq mi)
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)

Cuito Cuanavale is a town and municipality in Cuando Cubango (Kuando-Kubango) province in Angola.^[1][2] The names Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale are sometimes used, although this is a mutation of the original Portuguese name.

It covers an area of 35,610 square kilometres (13,750 sq mi) and its estimated population as of 2006 is 65,441 inhabitants.^[3] Cuito Cuanavale is bordered to the north by the municipality of Luchazes, to the east by the municipality of Mavinga, to the south by the municipality of Nancova, and to the west by the municipalities of Menongue and Chitembo

The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the Angolan Civil War and the South African Border War, with the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale from 1987-1989 being one of the largest land battles in Africa since World War II.

See also

• Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
• Operation Alpha Centauri

References

1. ^ "City councils of Angola". Statoids. http://www.statoids.com/yao.html. Retrieved April 7, 2009. 
2. ^ "Reference Center: Provinces". Angolan Embassy in the United States. Archived from the original on 11 Feb 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060211115650/http://www.angola.org/referenc/provinces.html. 
3. ^ Angola Statistics: Kuando Kubango. GeoHive. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Angola. Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social, Angola.