Angola

ANGOLA: Fun and games in the f...

ANGOLA: Fun and games in the fight against AIDS

Under the noonday sun in Angola's capital, Luanda, two soccer teams are preparing to play, but the heat does not seem to faze them or the 350 young...

Ebola alert shuts Angolan border

The authorities in Angola say they have closed part of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola...

ANGOLA: Government pledges to provide better health care

JOHANNESBURG Wednesday, October 01, 2008 (IRIN) - Angola's new government is promising better health facilities at both primary and secondary care...

ANGOLA: Prevention made in China

LUANDA Wednesday, November 12, 2008 (IRIN) - The best place to gauge the extent of China's growing role in Angola is at the Quatro de Fevereiro...
Angola Bad Choice to Host Worl...

Angola Bad Choice to Host World Habitat Day

The choice of the Angolan capital Luanda to lead the global observance of this year's World Habitat Day provoked controversy among housing and human...
ANGOLA: How free will the elec...

ANGOLA: How free will the elections be?

The prospect of Angola holding free and fair parliamentary elections in September is diminishing, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch...

National name: Republica de Angola

Geography 
Capital: Luanda
Major Towns: Luanda, Huamba , Lubango
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): 8°50'S, 13°20'E
Time Zone: WAT (UTC+1)
Size: 1,246,700 sq km
Borders with: Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,511 km), Republic of Congo (201 km), Namibia (1,376 km) and Zambia (1,110 km)
Elevation extremes (lowest and highest points): Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m;
Highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m
 
Politics  
Head of State: President: José Eduardo dos Santos (1979); Prime Minister: Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (2003)
Form of Government: Republic; multiparty presidential regime
Independancy (from Portugal): 11 November 1975 
Currency: Kwanza (AOA)

Industry  
Main industries: Petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship repair.
Agriculture: Bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, maioc, tobacco

Population and People  
Population: 12,263,596 (July 2007 est.)
Population density per sp mi: 25 
Growth rate 2,2%
Birth rate: 44.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.27 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate: 184.4/1000 
Religion: Indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Ethnic groups / Tribes: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Average age: 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 2,706,276/female 2,654,338); 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 3,339,114/female 3,225,121); 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 149,414/female 189,333) (2007 est.)
Life Expactancy: 37.6
Literacy (definition: age 15 and over can read and write): Total population: 67.4%; male; 82.9%; female: 54.2% (2001 est.)

  • Khoisan heritage (first inhabitants)
  • 5,198 km of Land boundaries
  • over 100 distinct tribes and linguistic dialects
  • 1,600 km of coastline
  • Mount Morro de Moco with 2,620 m
  • rich resources - notably gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, arable land, and large oil deposits
  • agricultural products: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco
  • 2,952 km of railways
  • Capoeira Angola: fight, dance, play, music and philosophy, all in one
  • Palancas Negras, ("The Black Antelopes") is the national football team of Angola, 2006 first time participation in World Cup
  • Humbi-Humbi art gallery in Luanda
  • great variety of wild animals
  • Basketball remains a firm favourite, with Angola having won the African Basketball title on several occasions, attending the Olympics twice
  • Calandula Waterfalls
  • Mussulo Island
  • Varied and tasteful cuisine, with fish, cassava products and spicy stews
  • Abundant and very good seafood - Angolan coast is a special place to eat fresh lobster right off the fisherman's boat
  • National specialties: Palm oil beans and Calulu (dried fish or dried meat layered with fresh fish or fresh meat, onion, tomatoes, okra and sweet potato leaves)