Tômbua, formerly known as Porto Alexandre, is a city and municipality in Angola, in Namibe Province.[2][3] The municipality has a population of 55,494 and the city has a population of 46,573 in 2014.[1][4][5] It is located on the shore of Porto Alexandre, an important harbor on the South Atlantic Ocean for oil production and fishing.

Tômbua
Porto Alexandre
Tômbua is located in Angola
Tômbua
Tômbua
Location in Angola
Coordinates: 15°48′S 11°51′E / 15.800°S 11.850°E / -15.800; 11.850
Country Angola
ProvinceNamibe
Population
 (2014 Census)[1]
 • Total55,494
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
ClimateBWh

The villages of Yona and Saint Martin of the Tigers are part of the municipality of Tômbua.[6]

Economy edit

The port had refrigeration facilities installed with European Union assistance at the Tombwe canning factory.[7]

It was during Portuguese Angola the largest fishing port of Angola and one of the largest in West Africa. It was established by fishermen from Olhão, Algarve around 1863 in a sheltered bay, and joined by the fishermen of Póvoa de Varzim in 1921, who left Brazil not wishing to lose Portuguese nationality by becoming Brazilian nationals. Due to the fishing industry, Porto Alexandre gained city status in 1961.

As of 2019 fishing harvests are declining. This is believed to have resulted from ocean warming, harvesting by industrial-sized foreign ships, and oxygen depletion. The movement of Angolans to the area based on its reputation for plentiful fishing has also contributed to the shortage of fish near the shore. As a result, anglers, usually from South Africa, who used to travel there for the fine fishing, no longer come. The prime fishing area, characterized by upwelling nutrient-rich cold water, has moved south along the Namibian coast.[8]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Resultados Definitivos Recenseamento Geral da População e Habitação – 2014 Província do Namibe" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estatística, República de Angola. Retrieved 3 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Namibe: Municípios". Info-Angola. Retrieved 27 Feb 2010.
  3. ^ Angola Statistics: Namibe Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. GeoHive. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, Angola. Instituto Nacional de Segurança Social, Angola.
  4. ^ "Reference Center: Provinces". Angolan Embassy in the United States. Archived from the original on 11 February 2006.
  5. ^ "City councils of Angola". Statoids. Retrieved 27 Feb 2010.
  6. ^ Comunas Archived 2020-02-12 at the Wayback Machine. Ministério da Administração do Território e Reforma do Estado. 2018.
  7. ^ Economic Report on Angola by the South African government
  8. ^ Max Bearak; Chris Mooney; Carolyn Van Houten; John Muyskens (November 27, 2019). "2°C: BEYOND THE LIMIT: A crisis in the water is decimating this once-booming fishing town". Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2019.