It is located 146 km from the city of Benguela and 200 km from the city of Huambo, formerly New Lisbon. It has 4,794 km² and around 252 thousand inhabitants. It is limited to the North by the municipality of Bocoio, to the East by the municipality of Ganda, to the South by the municipality of Chongoroi and to the West by the municipality of Caimbambo. It is bathed by a river that shares its name, the Cubal River. Around it, there are numerous sisal cultivation fields, which give the land a very particular aroma. They played an important role in the region's economy during the 20th century, providing large quantities of this raw material for export.