Angola

The Republic of Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and Zambia. The capital city is Luanda. A former Portuguese colony, it has considerable natural resources, among which oil and diamonds are the most relevant.

República de Angola

(In Detail) (Full size)

National motto: Virtus Unita Fortior
(Latin: Unity provides Strength)

Official language Portuguese

Capital Luanda

President José Eduardo dos Santos

Prime Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos

Area
- Total
- % water Ranked 22th
1,246,700 km²
Negligible

Population
- Total (July est.)
- Density Ranked 71th
10,766,500
8.6/km²

Independence 1976

Currency Kwanza'''

Time zone UTC +1

National anthem Angola Avante

Internet TLD .AO

Calling Code 244

Table of contents

1 History
2 Politics
3 Provinces
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Miscelleanous topics
9 Reference
10 External links

History

Main article: History of Angola

After a long war with Portuguese colonial forces, Angola became independent in 1975. Shortly after, a civil war broke out between MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. The later 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 occur. 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

Provinces

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, and Zaire.

List of Angolans

Culture

Main article: Culture of Angola

List of writers from Angola

Miscelleanous topics

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
CIA - The World Factbook -- Angola - 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

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