General background: Civil war has been the
norm in Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975.
A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided
for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into
the government and armed forces. A national unity government
was installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting
resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands
of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have
been lost in fighting over the past quarter century.
The death of Jonas SAVIMBI and a cease fire with UNITA
may bode well for the country.
Area comparative: Slightly less than twice the size
of Texas
Climate: Semiarid in south
and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season
(May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to
April)
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain
rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Population: 10,593,171 (July 2002 est.)
Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%,
Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and Native African)
2%, European 1%, other 22%
Religions: Indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic
38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)
Language: Portuguese (official), Bantu and
other African languages
Government type: Republic, nominally a multiparty
democracy with a strong presidential system
Capital: Luanda
Legal system: Based on Portuguese civil law
system and customary law; recently modified to accommodate
political pluralism and increased use of free markets
Economic overview: Angola is an economy in
disarray because of a quarter century of nearly continuous
warfare. 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.
Violence continues, millions of land mines remain,
and many farmers are reluctant to return to their
fields. As a result, much of the country's food must
still be imported. To fully take advantage of its
rich natural resources - gold, diamonds, extensive
forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits
- Angola will need to end its conflict and continue
reforming government policies. Internal strife discourages
investment outside of the petroleum sector, which
is producing roughly 800,000 barrels of oil per day.
While Angola made progress in bringing inflation down
further, from over 300% in 2000 to about 110% in 2001,
the government has failed to make sufficient progress
on reforms recommended by the IMF, such as increasing
foreign exchange reserves and promoting greater transparency
in government spending. Angola's GDP could be among
the world's fastest growing in 2002 if oil production
from the Girassol field, which began production in
December 2001, reaches 200,000 barrels per day as
expected.
Communication/Telephone system: Telephone
service limited mostly to government and business
use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for military
links. Limited system of wire, microwave radio relay,
and tropospheric scatter. Satellite earth stations
- 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Places of interest:
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