When Was Angola Founded? Kingdom, Colony & Nation

"Founded" depends on which Angola you mean—there are three distinct historical entities:

1. Kingdom of Ndongo (c. 1500s–1671)

• Established: Early 16th century by Mbundu peoples.
• Capital: Kabasa (near modern Malanje).
• Peak: Under Ngola Kiluanje (r. 1575–1592) – resisted Portuguese, traded with them.
• Fall: Conquered by Portuguese/Imbangala forces 1671.

2. Portuguese Colony of Angola (1575–1975)

• Founded: 1575 – Paulo Dias de Novais establishes São Paulo de Loanda (Luanda) with 400 settlers & soldiers.
• Expansion: 17th–19th c. – slave trade engine (millions to Brazil), then "legitimate commerce" (ivory, rubber).
• Berlin Conference (1885): Borders formalized; interior conquest (1890s–1920s).
• Overseas Province (1951): Portugal's "ultramarine" integration.

3. People's Republic of Angola / Republic of Angola (1975–present)

• Independence: November 11, 1975 – MPLA declares independence after Carnation Revolution (Portugal 1974).
• Civil War: 1975–2002 (MPLA vs. UNITA vs. FNLA) – Cold War proxy, 500k+ dead.
• Post-War: Dos Santos (1979–2017), Lourenço (2017–) – oil-driven economy, gradual reform.

Summary Timeline

Key Distinction

The name "Angola" derives from Ngola (title of Ndongo kings). Portuguese applied it to the colony. Modern Angola ≠ Ndongo geographically or politically.