Angola

Angola

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República de Angolo/Republic of Angola Area 1,246,700 sq km/481,350 sq mi Capital Luanda (and chief port) Language Portuguese (official), Bantu, other native dialects Religion Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%, animist 47% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 4 February, 27 March, 14 April, 1 May, 1 August, 17 September, 11 November, 1, 10, 25 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Lobito, Benguela, Huambo, Lubango, Malanje, Namibe, Kuito Major ports Huambo, Lubango, Malanje Physical features narrow coastal plain rises to vast interior plateau with rainforest in northwest; desert in south; Cuanza, Cuito, Cubango, and Cunene rivers Airports one international airport and 13 other major airports (which were undergoing rehabilitation in 2004); total passengers carried: 198,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: only 850 km/528 mi of 2,771 km/1,722 mi of track operational (2004) Roads total road network: 51,429 km/31,965 mi, of which 10.4% paved (2001 est); passenger cars: 4.9 per 1,000 people (1998 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state José Eduardo dos Santos from 1979 Head of government Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos from 2002 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 18 provinces Political parties People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola–Workers' Party (MPLA–PT), Marxist-Leninist; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), conservative; National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), conservative Death penalty abolished in 1992 Armed forces 108,400; plus paramilitary forces of 10,000 (2006 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for two years Defence spend (% GDP) 5.8 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2.8 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency kwanza GDP (US$) 28 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 14.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 21.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 2,210 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 12.9% (2006 est) Unemployment 55% (2001) Labour force 85% agriculture, 5% industry, 10% services (2003 est) Foreign debt (US$) 10.4 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, Portugal, China, South Korea, South Africa, Germany, France, Brazil, Spain, Chile Resources petroleum, diamonds, granite, iron ore, marble, salt, phosphates, manganese, copper Industries mining, petroleum refining, food processing, textiles, construction materials Exports petroleum and petroleum products, diamonds, gas. Principal market: USA 38.9% (2005) Imports consumer goods, transport equipment, base metals, electrical equipment. Principal source: South Korea 27.5% (2005) Arable land 12.1% (2006 est) Agricultural products coffee, sugar cane, bananas, cassava, maize, sweet potatoes


POPULATION

Population 16,399,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.8% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 13 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 37 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 46%, 15–59 50%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups nine main ethnic groups (Bakonga, Quimbundo, Lunda-Quioco (or Tchokwe), Ovimnundo, Ganguela, Nhaneca-Huambe, Ambo, Herero and the Xindonga), and about 100 subgroups. A major exodus of Europeans in the 1970s left around 30,000, mainly Portuguese. 2% mestizo (mixed European and Native American), 1% European Life expectancy 41 (men); 43 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 260 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 4 Literacy rate 56% (men); 28% (women) (1998 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.8 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.3 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 3.7 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 30,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 70 (urban); 40 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.6 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 6.9 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 74 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 21 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.5 (2004 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 1.2 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

14th century The powerful Kongo kingdom controlled much of northern Angola. early 16th century Kongo ruler King Afonso I adopted Christianity and sought relations with Portuguese traders. 1575 and 1617 Portugal secured control over ports of Luanda and Benguela and began to penetrate inland, meeting resistance from Ndonga ruler Queen Nzinga. 17th–18th centuries Inland, Lunda peoples established powerful kingdoms that stretched into southern Congo. The Portuguese made Angola a key centre for export of slaves; over 1 million shipped to Brazil 1580–1680. 1836 Slave trade officially abolished. 1885–1915 Military campaigns waged by Portugal to conquer the interior. 1951 Angola became overseas territory of Portugal. 1956 People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), a socialist guerrilla independence movement based in the Congo, formed. 1961 50,000 people massacred in rebellions on coffee plantations; forced labour abolished. 1962 National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), a nationalist guerrilla movement, formed. 1966 National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) formed as breakaway from FNLA. 1975 Independence from Portugal achieved; MPLA (backed by Cuba) proclaimed People's Republic of Angola; FNLA and UNITA (backed by South Africa and the USA) proclaimed People's Democratic Republic of Angola. 1976 MPLA gained control of most of country; South African troops withdrew, but Cuban units remained as civil war continued. 1979 José Eduardo dos Santos became state president and MPLA leader on death of Agostinho Neto. 1980 UNITA guerrillas continued raids against government and Namibian South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) bases in Angola. 1988 Agreement on withdrawal of all foreign troops signed with South Africa and Cuba. 1989 Ceasefire broke down. 1991 Peace agreement to end civil war; amnesty declared for all political prisoners; new multiparty constitution. 1992 MPLA general election victory disputed by UNITA; renewed violence. 1993 MPLA government recognized by USA; United Nations (UN) sanctions imposed against UNITA. 1995 UN peacekeepers deployed. 1997 National unity government sworn in but boycotted by UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. 2000–02 Fighting continued in south and east until Savimbi killed in combat; new ceasefire and amnesty agreed with government. 2002 UNITA reorganized as political party; Fernando dos Santos (‘Nando’) appointed prime minister. 2003 Isaias Samakuva elected leader of UNITA; UN refugee repatriation scheme began. 2005 Largest-ever recorded outbreak of Marburg disease killed more than 300 people. 2006 Government ceasefire agreement with separatists in northern enclave of Cabinda. 2007 Angola became member of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).


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