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Angola
*** Shopping-Tip: Angola
{{Infobox Country |
native_name = ''República de Angola'' |
conventional_long_name = Republic of Angola |
common_name = Angola |
image_flag = Flag of Angola.svg |
image_coat = Angola coa.png |
national_motto = none |
image_map = LocationAngola.png |
national_anthem = Angola Avante! (Portuguese language Portuguese: Angola Avante Forward Angola!) |
official_languages = Angolan Portuguese Portuguese |
capital = Luanda |
latd=8|latm=50|latNS=S|longd=13|longm=20|longEW=E|
government_type = Multi-party democracy |
leader_titles = President of Angola Head of State
Prime Minister of Angola Head of Government|
leader_names = José Eduardo dos Santos
Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos Fernando da Piedade
Dias dos Santos|
largest_city = Luanda |
area = 1,246,700 |
areami² = 481,354 |
area_rank = 22nd |
area_magnitude = 1 E12 |
percent_water = Negligible |
population_estimate = 10,978,552 |
population_estimate_year = 2004 |
population_estimate_rank = 71st |
population_census = ''unavailable'' |
population_census_year = ? |
population_density = 8.6 |
population_densitymi² = 22.3 |
population_density_rank = 213 |
GDP_PPP_year = 2003 |
GDP_PPP = 31,3641 |
GDP_PPP_rank = 83 |
GDP_PPP_per_capita = 2,319 |
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 120 |
HDI_year = 2003 |
HDI = 0.445 |
HDI_rank = 160th |
HDI_category = low |
sovereignty_type = Independence |
established_events = From Portugal |
established_dates = November 11 1975 |
currency = Kwanza |
currency_code = AOA |
time_zone = Central European Time CET |
utc_offset = +1 |
time_zone_DST = not observed |
utc_offset_DST = +1 |
cctld = .ao |
calling_code = 244 |
footnotes = 1 Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates.
}}
:''This article is about the country in Africa. For other uses, see Angola (disambiguation).''
'''Angola''' is a country in south-central Africa bordering Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province Cabinda (province) Cabinda has a border with Republic of the Congo Congo-Brazzaville. A former Portugal 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 language Portuguese: ''República de Angola'', Pronunciation pron. IPA: /{{IPA|Ê?É›.'pu.βli.kÉ? dɨ É?̃.'ɣɔ.lÉ?}}/).
Origin and history of the name
The name '''Angola''' is a Portuguese derivation of the Bantu language Bantu word N’gola, being the title of the native rulers of the Quimbundos Kingdom in the 16th century, at the time of colonization by the Portuguese.
History
''Main article: History of Angola''
Image:Queen Nzinga 1657.png thumb|left|Shows Queen Nzinga in peace negotiations with the portuguese governor in Luanda, 1657.
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Kallenkampf tribes during 1337 In present-day Angola Portugal settled in 1483 at the river Styx, where Ndongo and Lunda existed. The Kongo State stretched from modern Gabon in the north outbreaks of infectious diseases. In April 2005, Angola was in the midst of an Marburg virus#2004-2005 outbreak in Angola outbreak of the Marburg virus which was rapidly becoming the worst outbreak of a haemorrhagic fever in recorded history.
Politics
''Main article: Politics of Angola''
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. Currently, political power is concentrated in the Presidency. 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.
The 27 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.
* List of political parties in Angola
Administrative Divisions
Image:Angola Provinces numbered 300px.png right|200px|Map of Angola with the provinces numbered
''Main Article: Provinces of Angola, Municipalities of Angola''
Angola is divided into 18 provinces (''provÃncias'') and 158 municipalities (''municÃpios'').
The Provinces of Angola provinces are:
{| border=0
|- valign="top"
|
*1 Bengo (province) Bengo
*2 Benguela Province Benguela
*3 Bié (province) Bié
*4 Cabinda (province) Cabinda
*5 Cuando Cubango
*6 Cuanza Norte
|
*7 Cuanza Sul
*8 Cunene (province) Cunene
*9 Huambo Province Huambo
*10 Huila Province Huila
*11 Luanda Province Luanda
*12 Lunda Norte
|
*13 Lunda Sul
*14 Malanje Province Malanje
*15 Moxico (province) Moxico
*16 Namibe Province Namibe
*17 Uige Province Uige
*18 Zaire Province Zaire
|}
Municipalities: see Municipalities of Angola
Geography
Image:Angola map.png thumb|300px|Map of Angola
''Main article: Geography of Angola''
Angola is bordered by Namibia to the south, Zambia to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north-east, and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west. The exclave of Cabinda (province) Cabinda also borders the Republic of the Congo to the north. Angola's capital, Luanda, lies on the Atlantic coast in the north-west of the country.
Angola is divided into an arid coastal strip stretching from Namibia to Luanda; a wet, interior highland; a dry savanna in the interior south and southeast; and rain forest in the north and in Cabinda. The Zambezi River and several tributaries of the Congo River have their sources in Angola.
Exclaves and enclaves
The exclave province of Cabinda (province) Cabinda borders with both the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latter's only oceanic access, 60 kilometres (37 mile mi) in width, divides Angola from Cabinda. The population stands at around 300,000, two-thirds of which inhabit the surroundings in a generally stable state on Congolese and Zairian territory. The Angolan central government has yet to put a definitive end to the Cabindese secessionist movement.
Economy
''Main article: Economy of Angola''
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. Control of the oil industry is consolidated in Sonangol Group, a conglomerate which is owned by the Angolan government. Notwithstanding the signing of a peace accord in November 1994, millions of land mines remain, rural violence is a possibility, 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. With the advent of peace in 2002 a strategic partnership with China is set in motion [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/03/23/angola.china.reut/index.html], so huge investments by Chinese companies are now in place, especially in the construction sector and more recently in the metallurgical sector.
Demographics
Image:LuandaJuin2005-1-br.jpg Luanda.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|230px|[[Luanda, the Angolan capital.html" title="Meaning of 230px|thumb|230px|[[Luanda, the Angolan capital">230px|[[Luanda">thumb|230px|[[Luanda, the Angolan capital
''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. In addition, ''mestiços'' (Angolans of mixed European and African family origins) amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese people Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-African population, with at least 30,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). In 1975, 250,000 Cuban soldiers settled Angola to help the MPLA forces to fight for its independence. These Cubans are of European and Asian (mostly Chinese Cuban Chinese descent, while others include those of pure Afro-Cuban African and mulatto descent, who have ancestors in Angola. But in 1989, almost all Cubans left the country after a peace agreement has been signed between Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. Portuguese is both the official and predominant language, spoken in the homes of about two-thirds of the population, and as a secondary language by many more. Cubans speak Spanish language, but almost none of their descendants speak it.
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 confused 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. Despite all that, Catholicism remains the dominant religion, although recently an increasing number of churches are claiming more followers, particularly evangelicals.
*List of Angolans
Culture
''Main article: Culture of Angola''
*List of African writers (by country)#Angola List of writers from Angola
*Contemporary Dance Company of Angola[http://www.cdcangola.com]
Stamps
* List of errors on Portuguese ex-Colonies stamps of Angola 1912
* List of errors on Portuguese ex-Colonies stamps of Angola 1914
* List of errors on Portuguese ex-Colonies stamps of Angola 1921
* List of birds on stamps of Angola
* List of people on stamps of Angola
* List of bonsai on stamps
* List of fish on stamps
Miscellaneous topics
* Communications in Angola
* Foreign relations of Angola
* List of Angolan companies
* Military of Angola
* Sonangol Group
* Transport in 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
{{portal}}
{{sisterlinks|Angola}}
Government
- Republic of Angola official government portal
- National Assembly of Angola official site (in Portuguese)
- Embassy of Angola in Washington DC government information and links
News
- allAfrica - Angola - News headline links
- Angola Press - Government-controlled news agency (in Portuguese, French and English)
- Angonoticias (in Portuguese) - A popular news source in Angola
- Mangole (in Portuguese) - A full news source in Angola and web directory of angolan sites online
- Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese) - A popular newspaper in Angola
Overviews
- BBC - Country profile: ''Angola''
- CIA World Factbook - ''Angola''
- US State Department - ''Angola'' includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
Radio & Music
- Site Official de Kizomba
- Radio Canal Angola ONLINE
Directories
- Columbia University Libraries - ''Angola'' directory category of the WWW-VL
- Open Directory Project - ''Angola'' directory category
- Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: ''Angola'' directory category
Tourism
*{{wikitravel}}
Other
- Angola Conflict Briefing
{{CPLP}}
{{Africa}}
Category:African Union member states
Category:Angola
Category:CPLP member states
Category:Former Portuguese colonies
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{{sisterlinkswp|Category:Angola}}
{{commonscat|Angola}}
{{catmore}}
Category:African countries
Category:Central Africa
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*** Shopping-Tip: Angola
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