Angola

This article is about the nation, for the prison see Angola Prison

República de Angola</font>

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin: Unity Provides Strength)
Official language:	Portuguese
Capital  - Population:  - Coordinates	Luanda 1,822,407 (1993) 8°50'S, 13°20'E
Head of State:	José Eduardo dos Santos, President
Head of Government:	Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, Prime Minister
Area:  - Total:  - % water:	Ranked 22nd 1,246,700 km² Negligible
Land borders: Coastline:	5,198 km 1,600 km
Population:  - Total:  - Density:	Ranked 71st 10,978,552 (July 2004 est.) 8.6/km²
Independence:	From Portugal November 11 1975
National Day:	November 11 (Independence Day)
Religions:	indigenous 47% Roman Catholic 38% Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
Currency:	Kwanza (Kzrl) = 100 lwei
Time zone:	UTC+1:00
National anthem:	Angola Avante! (Portuguese: Forward Angola!)
Internet TLD:	.ao
Calling Code:	244

Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. A former Portuguese colony, it has considerable natural resources, among which oil and diamonds are the most relevant. The country is formally named the Republic of Angola.

Origin and history of the name

The name Angola is a Portuguese corruption 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.

History

Main article: History of Angola

After a long battle with Portuguese colonial forces, Angola became independent in 1975. Shortly after, a civil war broke out between MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. The latter would retire from the conflict, leaving the marxist MPLA and the western backed UNITA to fight for power. In 1991, both 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 a fraud and fighting broke out again.

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.

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.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Angola

• List of political parties in Angola

Administrative Divisions

Main Article: Provinces of Angola

Angola is divided into 18 provinces:-

1 Bengo 2 Benguela 3 Bié 4 Cabinda 5 Cuando Cubango 6 Cuanza Norte

7 Cuanza Sul 8 Cunene 9 Huambo 10 Huila 11 Luanda 12 Lunda Norte

13 Lunda Sul 14 Malanje 15 Moxico 16 Namibe 17 Uige 18 Zaire

Geography

Main article: Geography of Angola

Economy

Main article: Economy of Angola

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Angola

• List of Angolans

Culture

Main article: Culture of Angola

• List of writers from Angola

Miscelleanous topics

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

See Also

• List of sovereign 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.

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

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
Angola | Brazil | Cape Verde | East Timor | Guinea-Bissau | Mozambique | Portugal | São Tomé and Príncipe

The African Union

Member countries: Algeria | Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso | Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Comoros | Republic of the Congo | Republic of Côte d'Ivoire | Democratic Republic of Congo | Djibouti | Egypt | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Equatorial Guinea | Gabon | The Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Madagascar | Malawi | Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Polisario | Rwanda | São Tomé and Príncipe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa | Sudan | Swaziland | Tanzania | Togo | Tunisia | Uganda | Western Sahara | Zambia | Zimbabwe

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