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Angola is located in southern Africa. To its west is the
South Atlantic ocean, to the south Namibia, the north the
Democratic Republic of Congo and to the east Zambia.
Slightly
less than twice the size of Texas and the seventh largest
country in Africa, Angola is home to some 31.83 million (2019)
citizens, including those living in the discontiguous Cabinda
Province. There, despite the end of the Angola civil war in
2002, an armed struggle still exists with some factions
declaring an independent Republic of Cabinda free from 'illegal'
Angolan rule. Cabinda Province is a strip of land within the
Democratic Republic of Congo of some 3000 sq miles with a
population of 824,143 (2019). A Portugese colony,
it was ceded to Angola by the Treaty of Alvor in 1975, however
without the consent of a single Cabindian political organisation
who remain adamant that the treaty was illegal without their
consent and Cabinda was not Portugal's to give away.
With only 2.65% of its land arable, Angola is reliant on
foreign imports and aid to meet the country's food needs. The
land itself rises in stages towards a high inland plateau
covering almost two-thirds of the country. Angola has two seasons, the rainy from October to May with
most rainfall occurring in April and the cool from June to
September. Under its land lie diamonds, iron ore, phosphates,
copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium as well as petroleum
with Angola being Africa's largest oil producer after Nigeria.
Angola has a number of rivers inclusing the Chiloango, Congo,
Cuando, Cuanza, Cunene, Kasai, Kwango, Luanginga, Luena River,
Lungwebungu, Okavango, Rio Quicombo, and the Zambezi River. Places of interest to visit in Angola include the Kissama
National Park, the National Museum of Anthropology (despite
being looted during the civil war) and the Tundavala gorge which
provides a breathtaking view of the coastal plain below.
Tourists may also enjoy the colonial built switchback road that
joins Namibe and Lubango as it climbs the mountains at Leba
using the shortest possible route. Not for nervous drivers! The video (below) shows a
sequence of images of Angola presenting a country that is often
only remembered for its twenty seven year old war.
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Angola Images: Child Sponsor Angola
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