ANGOLA, a name often applied to the whole of the w. African coast from cape Lopez de Gonsalvo in lat. 0° 44' s., to San Felipe de Benguela in 12° 14' s.; hut, in a more restricted sense, the name of a kingdom in lower Guinea dependent upon Portugal, and extending from the river Coanza on the south, in lat. 9° 20' s., to the Danda on the north, in 8° 20's. The natives generally call it Donga. The interior is very imperfectly known, and the boundaries uncertain; but A. is supposed to contain about 250,000 inhabitants. The country being well watered, is covered with a most luxuriant tion. The heat being moderated by the sea-breeze, the orange and other fruits of the warmer temperate climates are produced, as well as those which are strictly tropical. There is a great abundance and variety of wild animals, and the mouths of the rivers swarm with sharks and crocodiles. The principal rivers are the Coanza and Panda.
Much of the country is Mountainous. The mountains are covered with forests, and are rich in metals, particularly copper, iron, and silver, which, with was and ivory, are the principal legitimate exports, although the great trade, almost to the present day, has been in slaves. Fetichism is the prevailing superstition, and circumcision is general among the natives. A. might easily be rendered very productive both of sugar and cot ton, but the manner in which it has been governed by the Portuguese has not tended to develop its resources. They discovered it in 1486, and have had settlemeats in it since 1488; but the number of resident Portuguese is very small, and they are almost entirely confined to a few spots—forts and commercial establishments called feiras or fairs. The capital is Loando, or San Paulo de Loando (q.v).