Country Summary: Angola
Country Name: Angola
Capital: Luanda
Official Visa & Travel Information: Republic of Angola (Visa Services)
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Background: Bantu-speaking people settled in the area now called Angola in 6th century A.D.; by the 10th century various Bantu groups had established kingdoms, of which Kongo became the most powerful. From the late 14th to the mid 19th century a Kingdom of Kongo stretched across central Africa from present-day northern Angola into the current Congo republics. It traded heavily with the Portuguese who, beginning in the 16th century, established coastal colonies and trading posts and introduced Christianity. Angola became a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade conducted by the Portuguese and other European powers - often in collaboration with local kingdoms including the Kongo. Estimates are that the Angola area may have lost as many as 4 million people as a result of the slave trade. The Kingdom of Kongo’s main rival was the Kingdom of Ndongo to its south, whose most famous leader was the 17thcentury diplomat to the Portuguese and later Queen, Nzingha Mbande, who successfully fought off Portuguese encroachment during her nearly 40-year reign. Smaller kingdoms, such as the Matamba and Ngoyo, often came under the control of the Kongo or Ndongo Kingdoms. During the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, Angola’s modern borders were set by Portugal and other European powers, but the Portuguese did not fully control of large portions of the territory. Portugal gained control of the Kingdom of Kongo in 1888 when Kongo’s King Pedro V sought Portuguese military assistance in exchange for becoming a vassal. After a revolt in 1914, Portugal imposed direct rule over the colony and abolished the Kongo Kingdom.
The Angolan National Revolution began in 1961 and in 1975, Angola won its independence when Portugal’s dictatorship fell, in part because of growing discontent over conflict in Angola and other colonies. Conflict between Angola’s multiple independence movements quickly emerged with the Popular Movement for Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Agostinho NETO, taking power and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas Savimbi, emerging as its main competitor. After NETO’s death in 1979, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, also of the MPLA, became president. Over time, the Angolan civil war escalated and became a major Cold War conflict with the MPLA supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba and UNITA by apartheid South Africa and the US. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - during the more than a quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and cemented the MPLA's hold on power. Dos Santos did not seek reelection in 2017 and supported Joao Lourenco’s successful bid to become president. Lourenco was reelected in 2022. Angola scores low on human development indexes despite using its large oil reserves to rebuild since the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002.
Continent: Africa
Population: 35,981,281 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, Mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Languages: Portuguese 71.2% (official), Umbundu 23%, Kikongo 8.2%, Kimbundu 7.8%, Chokwe 6.5%, Nhaneca 3.4%, Nganguela 3.1%, Fiote 2.4%, Kwanhama 2.3%, Muhumbi 2.1%, Luvale 1%, other 3.6%; note - data represent most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2014 est.)
Religions: Roman Catholic 41.1%, Protestant 38.1%, other 8.6%, none 12.3% (2014 est.)
Economic Overview: African oil leader and OPEC member; fairly stable currency; widespread poverty; emerging African finance and investment capital; systemic public corruption and lack of oversight; massive foreign direct investment recipient.
Currency: Angolan Kwanza (AOA)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $14.468 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $203.868 billion (2021 est.); note: data is in 2017 U.S. dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 1.1% (2021 est.)
Real GDP per Capita: $5,900 (2021 est.); note: data is in 2017 U.S. dollars
Exports:
$33.675 billion (2021 est.); note: data is in current year U.S. dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports
Comparison Ranking: 72
Export Commodities: Crude petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, refined petroleum, and asphalt mixtures (2021)
Export Partners: China 62%, India 10%, United Arab Emirates 4%, Portugal 3%, Spain 3% (2019)
Imports:
$18.845 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year U.S. dollars
Comparison Ranking: 90
Import Commodities: Refined petroleum, scrap vessels, meat, rice, and palm oil (2019)
Import Partners: China 22%, Portugal 15%, Nigeria 6%, Belgium 6%, United States 5%, South Africa 5%, Brazil 5% (2019)
Natural Resources: Petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, and uranium.
Agricultural Products: Cassava, bananas, maize, sweet potatoes, pineapples, sugar cane, potatoes, citrus fruit, vegetables, and cabbage.
Industries: 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.
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
-8.34% (2021 est.)
Comparison Ranking: 198
Labor Force:
14.462 million (2021 est.)
Comparison Ranking: 42
Labor Force By Occupation:
Agriculture: 85%
Industry: 15% (2015 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 8.53% (2021 est.)
Natural Hazards: Locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau.
Geography:
Total: 1,246,700 sq km
Land: 1,246,700 sq km
Water: 0 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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