Malanje, also spelled Malange , town, north-central Angola. The town developed in the mid-19th century as an important feira (open-air market) on the country’s principal plateau, between Luanda—now the country’s capital, 250 miles (400 km) to the west—and the Cuango valley, inhabited by Mbundu peoples, 125 miles (200 km) to the east. Situated at an elevation of 4,373 feet (1,333 metres), the town has a high-altitude tropical climate. Prior to Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975, the environs of Malanje included the principal cotton-producing area of Angola. The withdrawal of the Portuguese in conjunction with Angola’s independence and, later, Angola’s civil war (1975–2002), severely hampered the production of cotton as well as that of coffee and corn (maize). Malanje was partially destroyed during the civil war, but reconstruction efforts were under way in the years following the end of the conflict.
The surrounding area occupies the well-watered northern slopes of Angola’s central plateau and is drained mainly by the Cuanza River and its tributaries. The region is noted for its 350-foot- (107-metre-) high Duque de Bragança Falls on the Lucala River; the Luando Game Reserve in the south; the Milando animal reserve in the north; and the Pungo Andongo stones, giant black monoliths associated with tribal legend. Most of the region’s inhabitants are members of the Mbundu peoples. The chief economic activities are stock raising (mainly goats) and the cultivation of cotton, corn (maize), fruits and nuts, cassava (manioc), sisal, and tobacco; mineral resources include manganese and gold. Quéssua Theological College is located nearby. Malanje is the terminus of the Luanda Railway, which connects it with the Atlantic coast. Pop. (latest est.) 88,921.