Angola

Angola has been plagued by civil war since its independence from Portugal in 1975. The Soviet-backed MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) organized a Marxist state that gained recognition as the government of Angola, but they were opposed by the rebel forces of UNITA (Total Independence of Angola), backed by the U.S. and China.

Civil war raged for the next twenty years. An estimated 50,000 people were killed.

A cease-fire lasted from May 1991 to October 1992, when UNITA refused to accept defeat in internationally monitored elections.

Fighting resumed until 1994, when a U.N.-mediated peace treaty ended the conflict. But according to the U.N., UNITA has failed to live up to its part of the agreement by refusing to demilitarize. Some observers fear UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi has been using the time to rebuild his forces and will eventually renew hostilities.

In April 1997 UNITA joined a government of national unity and agreed to hand over the territory it controlled. UNITA, however, did not follow through on the agreement and still controls about half of the country, including lucrative diamond mining assets.

Land and People | History |
| Travel | Financial | Weather

DEMOGRAPHICS

Population:
10,623,994
Average life span:
45 male, 50 female
Average income (US$):
$700
GDP per capita (US$):
$553
Literacy:
42%

THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE

Capital:
Luanda
Size:
481,350 square miles (1,246,700 square km)
Three times the size of California
Political leaders:
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos; P.M. Fernando Franca van Dunem
Government type:
Republic
Religions:
Indigenous beliefs 47%; Roman Catholic 38%; Protestant 15%
Languages:
Portuguese (official); various Bantu languages

HISTORY

FINANCIAL

Monetary unit:
Readjusted Kwanza

CNN TRAVEL INFORMATION

CNN WEATHER INFORMATION

Forecasts:
Luanda
Forecast and satellite maps:
Africa forecast map
Africa satellite image