Republic of Angola

Countries

NAME OF THE COUNTRY:

Conventional long form: Republic of Angola
Conventional short form: Angola
Local long form: Republica de Angola
Local short form: Angola
Former: People's Republic of Angola

ANGOLA ETYMOLOGY:

Angola derives its name from the Bantu kingdom of Ndongo.
The name of the Bantu king was Ngola, hence the name “Angola”.

ANGOLA HISTORY:

Khoisan speakers are believed to be the original inhabitants of the region.
1000 years later, the area was taken over by Bantu speakers.
Angola was explored by the Portuguese navigator Diego Cão in 1482.
It was an import trade link between India and Southeast Asia.
It was also a major source of slaves for Portugal's New World colony of Brazil.
Development of the interior began after the Berlin Conference in 1885.
British and Portuguese investment developed mining, railways and agriculture.
The major nationalist organizations were the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA); National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
After 14 years of war with Portugal, Angola won its independence in 1975.
The MPLA has controlled the government since independence.
UNITA disputed the MPLA's ascendancy and a civil war ensued.
After the end of the cold civil war in 1989, the MPLA worked towards a multiparty democracy.
Free elections took place in 1992 which were won by the MPLA.
Four years of relative peace took place between 1994 and 1998.
In 1997 it was agreed that a coalition government with UNITA would be implemented.
The government suspended coalition rule in Sept. 1998, and another civil war took place.
On April 4, rebel leaders signaled the end of 30 years of civil war.
The post –war Angola suffered from starvation and poverty.
In Aug. 2006, a peace deal was signed with separatist rebels from the Cabinda region.

ANGOLA DEMOGRAPHICS:

Angola has a variety of ethnic groups that are distributed as follows:

Ovimbundu -37%
Kimbundu -25%
Bakongo -13%
Mestico (mixed European and native African)- 2%
European -1%
Other -22%
Close to half of the Angolan population follows indigenous religious beliefs.
The remaining are Roman Catholic (38%) and Protestant (15%)

ANGOLA GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

Angola is run by a republic, multiparty presidential regime government.
Administrative divisions include 18 provinces namely: Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige and Zaire.
11 November 1975 (Independence Day) is observed as a national holiday.
The Constitution was adopted by People's Assembly in 25 August 1992.
The legal system is based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law.
Legal system is modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets.
Angola has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
The president is both chief of state and head of government.

The Council of Ministers are appointed by the president The president is elected by a universal ballot for a five-year term.

The Legislative branch comprises of a unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional bearing 220 seats.
Members are elected by a proportional vote to serve four-year terms. Th

e Judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and separate provincial courts.

Judges are appointed by the president.

ANGOLA CULTURE:

Portuguese is the official language of Angola.
Indigenous customs and traditions are widely prevalent.
Other recognized languages are Bantu, Kongo, Chokwe, South Mbundu and Mbundu.
The Angolan culture is mostly native Bantu mixed with Portuguese culture.
In the Moxico province more than 10,000 persons are Spanish-speaking.

ANGOLA ECONOMY:

Angola is the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa.
Yet it is one of the poorest countries on the African continent due to a corrupt government.
Angola's high growth rate is attributed to record oil prices and rising petroleum production.
Oil production and its supporting industries contribute about 85% of GDP.
A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement programs has led to growth in construction and agriculture departments.
Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the people.
More than half of the food items have to be imported.
Angola has large credit lines from China, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program which has significantly reduced inflation.
The stabilization policy has however put pressure on international net liquidity.
Angola became a member of OPEC in late 2006.
In 2007, Angola was assigned a production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day.
Angola’s other resources include gold, diamonds, extensive forests and Atlantic fisheries.
The government has rejected a formal IMF monitored program.
The country continues with Article IV consultations and ad hoc cooperation.
GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $91.29 billion.
Extensive unemployment and underemployment affects more than half the Angolan population.
70% of the population is below poverty line (2003 est.)
Agricultural produce includes bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products and fish.
Industrial produce includes 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
Imported commodities include machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles and military goods.

ANGOLA INFRASTRUCTURE:

Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped due to prolonged civil war.
In 2005, the government started using a $7 billion line of credit from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure.
The telephone system in Angola is inadequately developed.
There are less than 20 fixed lines per 100 persons.
Telephone prices are high and services are poor.
Telecom Namibia is the first private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network.
Angola Telecom provides mobile-cellular service in Luanda and other major cities.
Radio and television broadcast services are well established.
Internet services are present though not readily available.
Most airports have unpaved runways.
Railway lines are spread over 2,761 km.
Large parts of the roadways are unpaved.
Main ports and marine terminals are located in Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda and Namibe.

ANGOLA EDUCATION:

Education in Angola is compulsory and free for children upto 8 years of age.
There is a severe paucity of school buildings and teachers.
There continue to be significant disparities in enrollment between rural and urban areas.
The number of boys attending school is more than that of girls.
The government is making attempts to recruit and train large number of teachers.
Lack of resources and poor health also prevent children from regularly attending schools.
The education system in Angola is extremely under-funded.
Literacy is quite low, with 67.4% of the population being able to read and write in Portuguese.
82.9% of males and 54.2% of women are literate (2001 est.)

ANGOLA NEIGHBOR COUNTRIES:

Angola is surrounded by:

Namibia (south)
Democratic Republic of the Congo ( north)
Zambia ( east)
Atlantic Ocean (west)

ANGOLA GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

Angola is located in Southern Africa.
Its geographic coordinates are 12 30 S, 18 30 E.
The total area of the country is 1,246,700 sq km, The coastline is 1,600 km long.
The climate is semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda.
The north has cool, dry seasons and hot, rainy seasons.
The terrain comprises of narrow coastal plains that rise abruptly to vast interior plateau.
The highest peak is Morro de Moco standing at 2,620 m.
Natural resources include petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite and uranium.
Only 2.65% of the land is arable.
Locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau.
The province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ANGOLA FREEDOM:

Angola gained independence from Portugal on 11 November, 1975 after 14 years of war.

ANGOLA EMINENT PERSONALITIES:

Waldemar Bastos (born 1954), pop musician
Bonga (born 1943), singer-songwriter of Angolan folk music including Semba
Paulo Flores (born 1972), Semba musician
Teta Lando
Akwá (born 1977), soccer player
Flávio Amado (born 1979), soccer player
Mantorras (born 1982), soccer player
Rui Marques (born 1977), soccer player
Henrique Abranches (born 1932), poet
José Eduardo Agualusa (born 1960), Portuguese-Angolan journalist and fiction writer
Mário Pinto de Andrade (1928–1990), poet
Boaventura Cardoso (born 1944), fiction writer
Viriato da Cruz (1928–1973), poet
José de Fontes Pereira (1838–1891), early Angolan journalist
António Jacinto (1924–1991), poet
Alda Lara (1930–1962), poet
Rafael Marques, journalist
Agostinho Neto (1922–1979), poet
Pepetela (born 1941), fiction writer
Óscar Ribas (1909–2004), novelist
Ana Clara Guerra Marques, dancer
Chilala Moco (born 1977), photographer

ANGOLA CAPITAL CITY:

Luanda is the capital of Angola.

ANGOLA CURRENCY:

The official currency unit of Angola is the Kwanza.

ANGOLA COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

The country is famous for its scenic natural beauty and coastline.
Angola is rich in flora and fauna.

Famous national parks include:

Cameia National Park
Cangandala National Park
Iona National Park
Mupa National Park

ANGOLA TOTAL POPULATION:

According to a 2008 census, the total population of Angola was estimated to be 12,531,357.
The annual population growth rate is 2.136% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 44.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 24.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

ANGOLA PREVIOUS RECORDS AND MEDALS WON:

Angola has been participating in the Olympics since 1988.

In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Angola competed in the following events:

Athletics
Basketball
Handball
Shooting
Swimming

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Angola competed in the following events:

Athletics
Basketball
Handball
Judo
Swimming

Angola has qualified for Basketball in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The country has not won any medals till date.