Benguela

(ben-gwē'lah,) a maritime country of W. Africa, nominally claimed by Portugal, between Lat. 90 and 16° S., and Lon. 120 and 17º E., having N. Angola, from which it is separated by the river Coanza; and W. the S. Atlantic. Surface mountainous; soil very productive; climate exce ively unhealthy on the coast. Fetichism is the prevailing superstition of the natives. The chief town, St. Felipe de Benguela, is the residence of the Portuguese governor. [s. 88]