The neighborhoods in the northern part of Maianga are formally built and set on paved streets with city services.

The area grew rapidly during the Angolan Civil War and in the years after Angola's independence from Portugal.

The area is now fully urbanized and is undergoing an extensive amount of construction as a result of Luanda's prosperous real-estate economy.

Due to the informal nature of construction and street layouts, the southern and eastern borders have loose definitions.

The northern part of Maianga is more formally urbanized while the southern and eastern portions are largely defined by unpermitted construction and dirt lanes.

As a historic and working-class neighborhood of Luanda, the city has a strong and important history of musical innovation.