Kuito
is the capital city of the province of Bie, which has nine municipalities:
Kuito, Cunhinga, Andulo, Nhanrea, Chinguar, Chitembo, Catabola, Camacupa
and Cuemba.Bie is a vast plain with an area of 70, 314 km², in the shape of a heart, in the geographical centre of Angola, in the municipality of Kamacupa, where the colonial power set up a statue of Christ the King.
To the north, the province is flanked by Malange; to the north-east, Lunda Sul; to the east, Moxico; to the south-west, Huila; to the east, Huambo; to the north-west, Kwanza Sul and to the south, the province of Kuando Kubango. The mall economic activity is agriculture.
Useful Information
Police: Tel.: (048) 70191
Fire and ambulance: Tel.: (048) 70059
Hospital: Tel.: (048) 70618
Angola Telecom: Tel.: (048) 70604
Climate
The average temperature is 21°C. The climate is tropical, with two
seasons: the rainy season and the dewy season. The dewy season is cold,
with moderate temperatures between May and September, while the rainy
season is longer, normally beginning at the end of September and finishing
at the beginning of May. The rain is usually associated with thunderstorms.
How to get There
By road: There are five road entrances to Bie, from the provinces of Huambo,
Malanje, Kwanza Sul, Kuando Kubango and Moxico. However, these roads are
in a bad state of conservation, currently being repaired.
By air:
Airlines such as TAAG and Sal fly to the Aeroporto Joaquim Kapango in
Kuito. There are also aerodromes in the municipalities of Andulo, Nhanrea,
Kuemba, Chitembo and Kamacupa.
Ethnic-Linguistic Group
There are six groups in the province, distributed as follows: Ovimbundu
- which is comprised by the majority of the population, in the municipalities
of Andulo, Chinguar, Kuito, Katabola, Kamacupa, Kun-hinga and Nhanrea.
Cokwes in the municipality of Kuemba.
The Nganguelas and Luindis in the municipality of Chitembo, and the Songos,
Ngoias in the north of Andulo.
Customs and habits
The clothes and hairstyles have an important role in the region, because
they have been used since ancient times. The most typical clothes are
the Olunjita, used as shoes by the men; to protect the lower part of the
body for both sexes, the bark of trees was prepared, leaving the trunks
bare. With the practice of hunting and the forced sending of the men to
work as labourers in the 1950s, after they came back, some traditions
slowly lost their character.