Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province Cabinda has a border with Congo-Brazzaville. A former Portuguese colony, it has considerable natural resources, among which oil and diamonds are the most relevant. The country is nominally a democracy and is formally named the Republic of Angola (Portuguese: República de Angola). The Republic of Namibia is a country in southwest Africa, on the Atlantic coast. ... The Democratic Republic of the Congo, called Zaïre between 1971 and 1997, is a nation in central Africa. ... Zambia is a republic in south central Africa. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ... Angolan province and Republic of the Congo, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Republic of the Congo, also known as Middle Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Congo (but not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which was also at one time known as the Republic of the Congo), is a former French colony of west-central Africa. ... This article deals with democracy in its modern sense. ... Portuguese (português) is a Romance language predominantly spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. ...

(Flag) (Coat of Arms)
National motto: Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin: Unity Provides Strength)
National anthem: Angola Avante! (Portuguese: Forward Angola!)
Capital	Luanda 8° 50′ S, 13° 20′ E
Largest city	Luanda
Official languages	Portuguese
Government Head of State Head of Government	Multi-party democracy José Eduardo dos Santos Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos
Independence From Portugal	November 11, 1975
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	1,246,700 km² (22nd) Negligible
Population  - 2004 est.  - ? census  - Density	10,978,552 (71st) unavailable 8.6/km² (213)
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2003 estimate 31,3641 (83) 2,319 (120)
Currency	Kwanza (AOA)
Time zone  - Summer (DST)	CET (UTC+1) not observed (UTC+1)
Internet TLD	.ao
Calling code	+244
1 Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates.

The national flag of Angola is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half. ... The Coat of Arms of Angola reflects the recent past of the new nation. ... Here is a list of state mottos for countries and their subdivisions around the world. ... Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... This is a list of national anthems. ... Angola Avante! (Forward Angola!) is the national anthem of Angola. ... Portuguese (português) is a Romance language predominantly spoken in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. ... Angola Avante! (Forward Angola!) is the national anthem of Angola. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the largest city and capital of Angola. ... Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. ... Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the largest city and capital of Angola. ... An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... Angolan Portuguese is a variant of the Portuguese language used mostly in Angola. ... This is a list of countries categorized by system of government currently in use. ... The President is both head of state and head of government in Angola. ... The Prime Minister is the head of government in Angola. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ... This article deals with democracy in its modern sense. ... José Eduardo dos Santos (born August 28, 1942) is the current President of Angola. ... Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, known as Nandó (born March 5, 1952) is the Prime Minister of Angola. ... Independence is autonomous self-government of a country by its residents and indigenous population. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... Here is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... Here is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population. ... Population density can be used as a measurement of any tangible item. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population. ... List of countries/dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km². The figures in this table are based on areas including inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers. ... This is a list of the worlds economies sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP) at market or government official exchange rates. ... In economics, purchasing power parity (PPP) is a method used to calculate an alternative exchange rate between the currencies of two countries. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January events January 1 Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Here is a list of countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. ... Here is a list of countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, divided by population as of 1 July for the same year. ... This article is about the currency Kwanza. ... ISO 4217 is an international standard describing three letter codes to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization or ISO. The first two letters of the code are the two letters of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (which are similar to those used... -1... Daylight saving time (also called DST, or Summer Time) is the portion of the year in which a regions local time is advanced by (usually) one hour from its standard official time. ... Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of UTC+1 time zone, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, is an atomic realization of Universal Time or Greenwich mean time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, is an atomic realization of Universal Time or Greenwich mean time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... The following is a list of currently existing Internet Top-level domains (TLDs). ... .ao is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Angola. ...

Origin and history of the name

The name Angola is a Portuguese derivation of the Bantu word N’gola, being the title of the native rulers of the region in the 16th century, at the time of colonization by the Portuguese. Bantu is a language family that belongs to the Niger-Congo group. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

History

Main article: History of Angola This is the History of Angola. ...

In present-day Angola Portugal settled in 1483 at the river Congo, where the Kongo State, Ndongo and Lunda existed. The Kongo State stretched from modern Gabon in the north to the Kwanza River in the south. Portugal established in 1575 a Portuguese colony at Luanda based on the slave trade. The Portuguese gradually took control of the coastal strip throughout the 16th century by a series of treaties and wars. They formed the colony of Angola. The Dutch occupied Luanda from 1641-48, providing a boost for anti-Portuguese states. In 1648 Portugal retook Luanda and initiated a process of military conquest of the Kongo and Ndongo states that ended with Portuguese victory in 1671. Full Portuguese administrative control of the interior didn't occur until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1951 the colony was restyled as an overseas province, also called Portuguese West Africa. When Portugal refused a decolonization process three independence movements emerged: The Kongo Empire was an African kingdom located in southwest Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Ndongo are a Bantu speaking people inhabiting northern Angola. ... Lunda, also known as Chilunda, is a Bantu language (of the larger Niger-Congo family) that is spoken in Zambia, Angola and, to a lesser extent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... The Gabonese Republic, or Gabon, is a nation of west central Africa. ... Luanda (formerly called Loanda) is the largest city and capital of Angola. ...

• the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola MPLA), with a base among Kimbundu and the mixed-race intelligentsia of Luanda, and links to communist parties in Portugal and the Eastern Bloc;
• the National Liberation Front of Angola (Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola, FNLA), with an ethnic base in the Bakongo region of the north and links to the United States and the Mobutu regime in Zaire; and
• the National Union for Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, UNITA), led by Jonas Malheiro Savimbi with an ethnic and regional base in the Ovimbundu heartland in the center of the country.

After a 14 year independence guerrilla war, Angola became independent in 1975. The Portuguese transferred power to the Marxist-inspired MPLA, which received support from the Soviet Union. Shortly after, a civil war broke out between MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. In 1976, the FNLA was defeated by a combination of MPLA and Cuban troops, leaving the Marxist MPLA and the western-backed UNITA to fight for power. MPLA later received more aid from People's Republic of China, including military aid, in return convincing Angola to join the Eastern Pact in 1982 for exclusive aid and recognition, also probably in expectance of military support. Angola became the only non-Asian country to join the briefly lived Eastern Pact. The MPLA flag The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimiento Popular de Libertação de Angola) is an Angolan political party that has ruled the country since independence in 1975. ... During the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) comprised the following Central and Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Albania (until the early 1960s, see below), the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia. ... External links Party website Categories: Politics stubs | Angolan political parties ... Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku wa za Banga (or Mobutu Sese Seko Koko Ngbendu Wa Za Banga; October 14, 1930 - September 7, 1997) was the President of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) from 1965 to 1997. ... Zaire was the name of the Second Republic of Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1971 and 1997. ... UNITA sticker The União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA) is an Angolan political faction. ... Jonas Malheiro Savimbi (August 3, 1934–February 22, 2002) was a rebel leader in Angola who founded the UNITA movement in 1966, and ultimately proved a central figure in 20th century Cold War politics. ... The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) .( Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик (СССР)  listen?; tr. ... The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) comprises most of the cultural, historic, and geographic area known as China. ... The Eastern pact was a military alliance established in 1980 and dissolved five years later. ...

In 1991, the factions agreed to turn Angola into a multiparty state, but after the current president José Eduardo dos Santos of MPLA won UN supervised elections, UNITA claimed there was fraud and fighting broke out again. José Eduardo dos Santos (born August 28, 1942) is the current President of Angola. ...

A 1994 peace accord (Lusaka protocol) between the government and UNITA provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government. A national unity government was installed in 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. President José Eduardo dos Santos suspended the regular functioning of democratic instances due to the conflict. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia. ... An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority, by any irregular armed force that rises up against an enforced or established authority, government, or administration. ...

On February 22nd 2002, Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA, was shot dead and a cease-fire was reached by the two factions. UNITA gave up its armed wing and assumed the role of major opposition party. Although the political situation of the country seems to be normalizing, president dos Santos still hasn't allowed regular democratic processes to take place. Among Angola's major problems are a serious humanitarian crisis (a result of the prolonged war), the abundance of mine fields, and the actions of guerrilla movements fighting for the independence of the northern enclave of Cabinda (Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda). Angolan province and Republic of the Congo, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda (FLEC), or Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, is a liberation movement in Cabinda, Angola. ...

Angola, like many sub-Saharan nations, is subject to periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases. As of early April 2005, Angola is in the midst of an outbreak of the Marburg virus which is rapidly becoming the worst outbreak of a hemmorhagic fever in recorded history, with over 237 deaths recorded out of 261 reported cases, and having spread to 7 out of the 18 provinces as of April 19, 2005. The Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. ... The Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. ...

Politics

Main article: Politics of Angola Angola changed from a one-party Marxist-Leninist system ruled by the MPLA to a formal multiparty democracy following the 1992 elections. ...

Currently, political power is concentrated in the Presidency. The executive branch of the government is composed of the President, the Prime Minister (currently Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos) and Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers, composed of all government ministers and vice ministers, meets regularly to discuss policy issues. Governors of the 18 provinces are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the president. The Constitutional Law of 1992 establishes the broad outlines of government structure and delineates the rights and duties of citizens. The legal system is based on Portuguese and customary law but is weak and fragmented, and courts operate in only 12 of more than 140 municipalities. A Supreme Court serves as the appellate tribunal; a Constitutional Court with powers of judicial review has never been constituted despite statutory authorization. Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, known as Nandó (born March 5, 1952) is the Prime Minister of Angola. ...

The 26-year long civil war has ravaged the country's political and social institutions. The UN estimates of 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), while generally the accepted figure for war-affected people is 4 million. Daily conditions of life throughout the country and specifically Luanda (population approximately 4 million) mirror the collapse of administrative infrastructure as well as many social institutions. The ongoing grave economic situation largely prevents any government support for social institutions. Hospitals are without medicines or basic equipment, schools are without books, and public employees often lack the basic supplies for their day-to-day work.

The president has announced the government's intention to hold elections in 2006. These elections would be the first since 1992 and would serve to elect both a new president and a new National Assembly 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• List of political parties in Angola

A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ...

Administrative Divisions

Main Article: Provinces of Angola Angola is divided into 18 provinces: Bengo Benguela Bié Cabinda Cuando Cubango Cuanza Norte Cuanza Sul Cunene Huambo Huila Luanda Lunda Norte Lunda Sul Malanje Moxico Namibe Uige Zaire Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Angola | Provinces of Angola ...

Angola is divided into 18 provinces:-

Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Bié is a province of Angola. ... Angolan province and Republic of the Congo, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... For alternate uses, see Huila. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... sagrada esperancas de province soccer team is the angolan vice chanpion deputing asa in soccer. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Moxico is a province of the African nation of Angola. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | Provinces of Angola ... Zaire is one of the 18 provinces of Angola. ...

Geography

Map of Angola

Main article: Geography of Angola Angola is located on the South Atlantic Coast of West Africa between Namibia and the Republic of the Congo. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Angola Angolas is the fastest-growing economy in Africa, largely due to a major oil boom, but it also ranks in the bottom 10 of socioeconomic conditions in the world. ...

Angola is an economy in disarray because of a quarter century of nearly continuous warfare. Despite its abundant natural resources, output per capita is among the world's lowest. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 85% of the population. Oil production and the supporting activities are vital to the economy, contributing about 45% to GDP and 90% of exports. Notwithstanding the signing of a peace accord in November 1994, violence continues, millions of land mines remain, and many farmers are reluctant to return to their fields. As a result, much of the country's food must still be imported. Despite the increase in the pace of civil warfare in late 1998, the economy grew by an estimated 4% in 1999. The government introduced new currency denominations in 1999, including a 1 and 5 kwanza note. Expanded oil production brightens prospects for 2000, but internal strife discourages investment outside of the petroleum sector.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Angola Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. ...

Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. In addition, mixed racial (European and African) people amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-Angolan population, with at least 30,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). Portuguese is both the official and predominant language.

The great majority of the inhabitants are of Bantu stock with some admixture in the Congo district. In the south-east are various tribes of Bushmen. The best-known of the Bantu tribes are the Ba-Kongo (Ba-Fiot), who dwell chiefly in the north, and the Abunda (Mbunda, Ba-Bundo), who occupy the central part of the province, which takes its name from the Ngola tribe of Abunda. Another of these tribes, the Bangala, living on the west bank of the upper Kwango, must not be confounded with the Bangala of the middle Congo. In the Abunda is a considerable strain of Portuguese blood. The Ba-Lunda inhabit the Lunda district. Along the upper Kunene and in other districts of the plateau are settlements of Boers, the Boer population being about 2000. In the coast towns the majority of the white inhabitants are Portuguese. The Mushi-Kongo and other divisions of the Ba-Kongo retain curious traces of the Christianity professed by them in the 16th and 17th centuries and possibly later. Crucifixes are used as potent fetish charms or as symbols of power passing down from chief to chief; whilst every native has a "Santu" or Christian name and is dubbed dom or dona. Fetishism is the prevailing religion throughout the province. The dwelling-places of the natives are usually small huts of the simplest construction, used chiefly as sleeping apartments; the day is spent in an open space in front of the hut protected from the sun by a roof of palm or other leaves. This article concerns the concept of fetishism in anthropology. ...

• List of Angolans

This is a list Angolans who are famous or notable. ...

Culture

Main article: Culture of Angola The most famous Angolan folk song is Kumbaya (Come by here, my Lord). ...

• List of writers from Angola

African Writers (by country): This is a list of literary figures from the African continent, listed by country, including poets, novelists, childrens writers, essayists, and scholars, listed by country. ...

Miscelleanous topics

• Communications in Angola
• Transportation in Angola
• Military of Angola
• Foreign relations of Angola

Communications in Angola: Contents // Categories: Africa-related stubs | Angola | Communications by country ... Railways: total: 2,761 km narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1. ... Angolas military is called the FAA, the Portuguese acronym for Angolan Armed Forces, headed by a Chief of Staff who reports to the Minister of Defense. ... From 1975 to 1989, Angola was aligned with the Eastern bloc, in particular the Soviet Union and Cuba. ...

See Also

• List of sovereign states

This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ...

Reference

• Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ...

External links

• Library of Congress Portals on the World - Angola (http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/amed/angola/angola.html)
• CIA - The World Factbook -- Angola (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ao.html) - CIA's Factbook on Angola
• AngolaPress - Angolan News Agency (http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/) (In Portuguese, French and English)
• BBC - Country profile: Angola (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1063073.stm)
• Angola Conflict Briefing (http://www.flashpoints.info/countries-conflicts/Angola-web/angola_briefing.html)

CIA, see CIA (disambiguation). ...