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Bay of Luanda, Angola
Luanda Bay, seen from Ilha de Luanda, with the skyline of Luanda, the capital city of Angola, in background.
Image: Paulo César Santos
 

Angola Flag
Flag of Angola
Location map of Angola. Where in Africa is Angola?
Location map of Angola


 
A virtual guide to Angola, a country on the western coast of southern Africa. Angola is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in west, Namibia in south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire) in north, and Zambia in the east. The exclave province of Cabinda is separated from Angola by a tongue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has also borders with the Republic of the Congo.

Angola occupies an area of 1,246,700 km², compared it is almost 14 times the size of Portugal, the former colonial power of the country, or slightly less than twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas.

Angola has a population of 24.4 million people (census 2014). Largest city and the national capital is Luanda. Spoken languages are Portuguese (official), and several Bantu languages like Kikongo, Kimbundo, Tchokwe, Umbundo and others.

The exclave province of Cabinda is separated from Angola by a tongue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has also borders with the Republic of the Congo.
 

Republic of Angola | República de Angola


Country Profile




Background:
Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed forces.

A national unity government was installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in fighting over the past quarter century. The death of Jonas SAVIMBI and a cease fire with UNITA may bode well for the country.

President DOS SANTOS (in office since 1979) pushed through a new constitution in 2010 and elections held in 2012 saw him installed again as president. Angola assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term.

In an article from March 2015, the New York Times wrote:
"This is a country laden with oil, diamonds, Porsche-driving millionaires and toddlers starving to death. New Unicef figures show this well-off but corrupt African nation is ranked No. 1 in the world in the rate at which children die before the age of five."

Related countries: Portugal
 
 


Official Name:
República de Angola (Republic of Angola)
former: People's Republic of Angola

ISO Country Code: ao, ago

Local Time = UTC +1h
Actual Time: Sun-Mar-17  19:17

Country Calling Code: +244

Capital: Luanda (pop. 3.8 million)

Government:
Republic.
Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal).

Geography:
Location: Southern Africa, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Area: 1,246,700 km² (481 400 sq. mi)
Terrain: A narrow, dry coastal strip extending from Luanda to Namibia; well-watered agricultural highlands; savanna in the far east and south; rain forest in the north and Cabinda.

Major Cities:
Huambo (750 000); Benguela (600 000)

Climate: Semiarid in south and along the coast; north has a cool, dry season (May - October) and a hot, rainy season (November - April)

People:
Nationality: Angolan(s)
Population: 24,4 million (2014)
GNI per capita PPP: $6,484 (year)
Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mixed racial 2%.
Religions: Christians 88%, indigenous beliefs.
Languages: Portuguese (official), Ovimbundu, Kimbundu, Bakongo, and others.
Literacy 70% (male 82%, female 58%).

Natural resources: Petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium.

Agriculture products: Bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish.

Industries: Petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing; brewing; tobacco products; sugar; textiles.

Exports - commodities: crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, minerals, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton.

Exports partners: China 43.8%, India 9.6%, US 7.7%, Spain 6.2%, South Africa 4.8%, France 4.4% (2015)

Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods.

Imports partners: China 22.1%, Portugal 13.8%, South Korea 11%, US 6.9%, South Africa 5%, UK 4.1%, France 4% (2015)

Currency: Kwanza (AOA)
 

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Angola

Angola is ruled by a multiparty presidential regime. The President is Head of state and head of government, chief commander of the armed forces and chairman of the council of the republic. The president possesses the executive authority in the Angolan government after the 2010 constitution eliminated the position of prime minister.
In Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 official website where the least corrupt country ranks #1, Angola is ranked #163 (out of 168) together with South Sudan. Only Sudan, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia ranked worse.

Angola
The Official Web Site of the Republic of Angola.

Assembleia Nacional da República de Angola
Angola's National Assembly.


Ministério das Relações Exteriores (MIREX)
Ministry for external relations.

Diplomatic Missions
Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations
Republic of Angola's Mission to the UN.
Embassy of the Republic of Angola to the US
Official website of the Embassy of Angola, Washington, DC.
Embassy of Angola in the UK
Republic of Angola Embassy in the UK.
Angolan Embassies Abroad
Address List of Angolan Embassies worldwide.


Maps

Angola Map
Political map of Angola.
Administrative Map of Angola
Map showing the administrative divisions of Angola.
Google Earth Google Earth Angola
Searchable map/satellite view of Angola.
Google Earth Google Earth Luanda
Searchable map/satellite view of Angola's capital city.

Map of Africa
Political Map of Africa.
Relief Map of Africa

Miradouro da Lua cliffs, Angola
Miradouro da Lua, (watchpoint or valley of the moon), a set of cliffs situated at the coast 40 km south of Luanda.
Image: Paulo César Santos

 

Angola News

According to BBC, the state controls all media with nationwide reach, including radio, the most influential medium outside the capital.

AngolaPress (ANGOP)
AngolaPress Agency is the official news agency of the state of Angola.

Agora
National and international news.

Jornal de Angola
Angola's only daily newspaper is staterun (in Portuguese)

Angola News
WorldNews Network (WN) powered Angolan news.

TV/Radio
Televisao Popular de Angola (TPA)
National broadcaster.

 

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Arts & Culture


Art & Culture of Angola
The Art and Style of Angola.

e.studio
Article about the cultural initiative and artist collective e.studio, based in Luanda.

Operation Noah's Ark
The Kissama Foundation, along with the Angolan government, is relocating 150 elephant and eight other species of game from Namibia and Botswana to Quiçama National Park, Angola.
 

 

Business & Economy

Angola's high growth rate in recent years was driven by high international prices for its oil. Angola became a member of OPEC in late 2006. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP and diamond exports contribute an additional 5%.
Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the people, but half of the country's food is still imported. Despite a postwar reconstruction boom, much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war.

Direcção Nacional do Comércio Interno
Ministry of Commerce provides information on commercial reforms, legislation and developments in Angola. (in Portuguese)

Ministério da Indústria
Ministry of Industry. (in Portuguese)

Banco Nacional de Angola (BNA)
National Bank of Angola.


SONANGOL
Angola's National Oil Company

__Transportation
Airline
TAAG - Linhas Aereas de Angola
Angola Airlines, the national carrier.
 

 
Kalandula Falls, Malanje Province, Angola
The Lucala River at Kalandula Falls (Quedas de Kalandula) in Malanje Province, Angola. The falls are about 105 meters high and about 400 meters wide. They are one of the largest waterfalls by volume in Africa.
Image: L. Willms

 
Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Angola: travel and tourism guides


Angola
The Official Web Site of the Republic of Angola (the site is sometimes down).

Virtual Angola - Tourism - Why Angola?
Information about travel and tourism in Angola by the Angolan Embassy, London.

Travel Advice
Regularly updated travel advice provided by the governments of various countries.

 

 

Education


Universidade Agostinho Neto
The home page for Angola's Agostinho Neto University.
Universidade Catolica de Angola
Home page of the university. (in Portuguese)
 

 

Environment & Nature


UNDP in Angola - Energy and Environment
The United Nations Development Programme in Angola, creates and supports partnerships to fight poverty and leads in advice, advocacy and resources to empower the poor.

 

 

History


Angola History
Timeline by AfricaNet.
History
Summary of Angola's history by the Embassy of Angola, Washington, DC..
Key events in Angola's recent history
Reuters timline of Angola's recent history.
History of Angola
From Precolonial history to independent Angola, Wikipedia entry about the country's history.

 

 

Sources and additional Information about Angola


Africa South of the Sahara: Angola (by Karen Fung) Angola related Documents and recources.

Amnesty International: Angola

BBC Country profile: Angola

Freedom House: Angola

globalEDGE: Angola

Human Rights Watch: Angola

OEC: Angola

Reporters Without Borders: Angola

United States of African Countries: Angola

Wikipedia: Angola

The World Factbook -- Angola

 

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