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 national capital, 250 miles (400 km) to the west and the Kwango valley, inhabited by the Mbundu people, 125 miles (200 km) to the east. Situated at an elevation of 4,373 feet (1,333 m), the town has a high-altitude tropical climate. The environs of Malanje included the principal cotton-producing area of Angola prior to independence in 1975. The withdrawal of the Portuguese and later civil wars (which partially destroyed the town) severely hampered the production of cotton as well as that of coffee and corn (maize). The surrounding area occupies the well-watered northern slopes of Angola's central plateau and is drained mainly by the Kwanza River and its tributaries. The region is noted for its 350-foot- (107-metre-) high Duque de Bragana 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, fruits and nuts, cassava, sisal, and tobacco. Mineral resources include manganese and gold. Malanje is the terminus of the Luanda Railway, which connects it with the Atlantic coast. Pop. (1984 est.) town, 35,000.