The Benguela railway is a railroad operated by the Caminho de Ferro de Benguela that connects the Atlantic port of Lobito, Angola, to the railroad systems of Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... Lobito is a city and a municipality of the province of Benguela, in Angola. ... Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. ... Katanga is the southern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, regional capital Lubumbashi (formerly Elizabethville). ... The Democratic Republic of the Congo, called Zaïre between 1971 and 1997, is a nation in central Africa. ... The Republic of Zambia is a land-locked country in south central Africa. ...

Benguela railway transverses Angola

Through Zambia's connections to Beira and Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean, the Benguela railway is part of a transcontinental railroad. It also connects indirectly to the railroad system of South Africa. Beira can mean one of the following: In the Celtic mythology of Scotland, Beira was mother to all the gods and goddesses. ... Dar es Salaam (دار السلام), formerly Mzizima, is the largest city (pop. ... The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths water surface. ... The Republic of South Africa is a large republic located at the southern tip of the continent. ...

In 1899, the Portugese government initiated the construction of the railroad to access the hinterland and the mineral wealth of the Belgian Congo. In 1902, the Sir Robert Williams, a friend of Cecil Rhodes, took over the construction and completed the connection to Luau at the border to the Congo in 1929. The line proved very successful and profitable. After independence, the Angolan civil war brought operations to a halt, and most of the infrastructure is damaged or destroyed. Recently (2005) talks have been intitiated between Angola and Zambia to restore operations. Categories: Africa geography stubs | History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ... Cecil John Rhodes (July 5, 1853 – March 26, 1902) was an English businessman and the effective founder of the state of Rhodesia (which was named after him). ... A luau (Hawaiian luau) is a traditional Hawaiian feast that normally features foods such as poi, kalua pig (pork prepared in an imu, or earth oven), poke, and lomi salmon, among others. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ...

See also

• Benguela
• Angola