Angola - Map - Geography

Geography

Angola

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Background:

Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for sometime in 2009.

Location:

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

12 30 S, 18 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,198 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Coastline:

1,600 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 2.65%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 97.12% (2005)

Irrigated land:

800 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

184 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

Total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%)
Per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau

Environment - current issues:

overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Population:

12,531,357 (July 2008 est.)

Population density:

11 people per sq km land area

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.6% (male 2,760,264/female 2,707,665)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 3,416,914/female 3,302,552)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 151,609/female 192,353) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18 years
male: 18 years
female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.136% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

44.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

24.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 182.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 194.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 169.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 37.92 years
male: 36.99 years
female: 38.9 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

240,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

21,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Angolan(s)
adjective: Angolan

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.)

Languages:

Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.4%
male: 82.9%
female: 54.2% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

void

Education expenditures - percent of GDP:

2.4% of GDP (2005)

People - note:

void

Country name:

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

Dependency status:

void

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital:

name: Luanda
geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 14 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire

Dependent areas:

void

Independence:

11 November 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 11 November (1975)

Constitution:

adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992

Legal system:

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); Paulo KASSOMA was named prime minister by MPLA on 26 September 2008
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held because SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the president

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5-6 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 81.6%, UNITA 10.4%, PRS 3.2%, ND 1.2%, FNLA 1.1%, other 2.5%; seats by party - MPLA 191, UNITA 16, PRS 8, ND 2, FNLA 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed between Ngola KABANGU and Lucas NGONDA]; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA (largest opposition party) [Isaias SAMAKUVA]; Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA (ruling party in power since 1975) [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS]; Social Renewal Party or PRS [Eduardo KUANGANA]
note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections but only won a few seats; they and more than 100 other smaller parties have little influence in the National Assembly

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPEC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITE
chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156
FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258
consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dan MOZENA
embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of Luanda), Luanda
mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda; pouch: US Embassy Luanda, US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place, Washington, DC 20521-2550
telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000
FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)

Government - note:

void

Affiliation:

void

Group:

void

Data code:

void

Economy - overview:

Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Increased oil production supported growth averaging more than 15% per year from 2004 to 2007. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the people, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit, since increased to $7 billion, from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure, and several large-scale projects were completed in 2006. Angola also has large credit lines from Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas out of circulation. This policy became more sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings; it has significantly reduced inflation. Although consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to under 13% in 2007, the stabilization policy has put pressure on international net liquidity. Angola became a member of OPEC in late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day, somewhat less than the 2-2.5 million bbl Angola's government had wanted. To fully take advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to implement government reforms, increase transparency, and reduce corruption. The government has rejected a formal IMF monitored program, although it continues Article IV consultations and ad hoc cooperation. Corruption, especially in the extractive sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$95.46 billion (2007 est.)

GDP:

void

GDP (official exchange rate):

$61.36 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

16.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita:

void

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9.5%
industry: 65.8%
services: 24.6% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

9.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

70% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

void

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.148 million (2007 est.)

Labor force participation rate:

57.04 % of population

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 85%
industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $20.18 billion
expenditures: $15.53 billion (2007 est.)

Budget revenues per capita:

1,611 USD per capita

Public debt:

12% of GDP (2007 est.)

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:

23.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.585 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - production per capita:

207 kWh per capita

Electricity - production by source:

void

Electricity - consumption:

2.201 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption - per capita:

176 kWh per capita

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

1.712 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production per capita:

136,618 bbl/day per capita

Oil - consumption:

50,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption - per capita:

1.46 bbl/year per capita

Oil - exports: