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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



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Photo by Robert Shields 



A CHRISTIAN FAMILY OF LOANDA, THK CAPITAL OF THE) COLONY 



Saint Paul de Loanda, as it was christ- 

 ened, the oldest Portuguese settlement 

 south of the Equator and once the center 

 of the slave trade between Africa and 

 Brazil. Its splendid harbor offers a safe 

 haven, and it boasts of a mixed popula- 

 tion of about 25,000. For administrative 

 purposes the colony is divided into five 

 districts, and at the head is a governor 



appointed by the Portuguese. The pop- 

 ulation is estimated at 5,000,000, the 

 greater portion natives, and the number 

 of Europeans being only about 4,000. 

 They have, however, exercised a great 

 modifying influence on the native popu- 

 lation inhabiting the western part of the 

 colony as regards their customs and eco- 

 nomic condition. 



