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What was the Lunda Empire?
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What was the Lunda Empire?

From a capital on the Congo-Zambia border, the Mwata Yamvo ruled a trading empire larger than France — until the colonial carve-up erased it.

The short answer

The Lunda Empire was a vast pre-colonial African state that dominated the central African savanna from about 1600 to 1887, ruled by the Mwata Yamvo from a capital near the modern Congo-Zambia border. At its height it coordinated trade and tribute across a territory larger than France, linking the Atlantic and Indian Ocean commercial systems.

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From a capital on the Congo-Zambia border, the Mwata Yamvo ruled a trading empire larger than France — until the colonial carve-up erased it.…

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