Loango, Republic of Congo

Loango (can also be written as Luango, Lwango, Luangu, Lwangu, Luaangu or Lwaangu) is a town of the Republic of the Congo.

Since 2011 it has been the capital of the Kouilou Department and of the new Loango District.

Location
Loango lies on the south coast of the Loango Bay, to the southwest of Diosso, a few kilometers north of the city of Pointe-Noire.

History


Diosso was the former capital of the Kingdom of Loango and home to its rulers' mausoleum. Roman Catholic missionaries were active in Diosso, which had a royal palace. The port of Loango was formerly a major slavery port, but the site has now been abandoned and few traces remain.

The first radiotelegraph link in the tropics, between Brazzaville and Loango, was created around 1910 using techniques developed by Joseph Bethenod, chief engineer of the Société française radio-électrique (SFR).