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Luanda is the capital of Angola. It is on the Angola's Atlantic coast. Its current renaissance is a truly inspiring success story. In recent history, the center of decades of conflict, the start of the 21st century has seen a massive boom in construction in Luanda, where peace and stability have attracted numerous foreign companies to invest in offices in the city. The government of Angola, getting rich off revenue from oil, diamond, and other natural resources, is also investing heavily in and around Luanda, including large social housing highrises to replace slums and existing dilapidated (and often bullet-ridden) highrises; extensive repaving; the construction of several six-lane highways leading out of the city; the reconstruction of railroad lines leading out of the city; and a large new airport on the south side set to open in 2011.

Climate

Luanda recieves most nearly all its rain in March & April.The climate is largely influence by the offshore Benguela current. The current gives the city a surprisingly low humidity despite its low latitude, which makes the warmer months considerably more bearable than similar cities in Western/Central Africa. The city receives an average of 323mm (12.7in) of rain a year, mostly in March and April and no rain from June through October. However, this is quite variable depending on the strength of the current and the coefficient of variation is 40% (there can be a sixfold difference between rain received in the driest of years and wettest of years). The temperatures are fairly stable year-round, with the coldest months being July (24 max/19 min)and August and the warmest months being January (31 max/25 min) to April.

Orientation

Luanda can be divided into four main sections: Baixa de Luanda (lower Luanda, the colonial city), Cidade Alta (upper city, newer city), Ilha de Luanda (a skinny peninsula surrounding the bay, part of the colonial city), and the slums circumscribing the city.