Angolan Travel Services Factbook |
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Background: |
Angola
is slowly 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.
DOS SANTOS has pledged to hold legislative
elections in 2006. |
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Location: |
Southern
Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Namibia and Democratic Republic
of the Congo |
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Geographic coordinates: |
12
30 S, 18 30 E |
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Map references: |
Africa
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Area: |
total:
1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700
sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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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
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Coastline: |
1,600
km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial
sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm |
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Climate: |
semiarid
in south and along coast to Luanda; north
has cool, dry season (May to October) and
hot, rainy season (November to April) |
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Terrain: |
narrow
coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior
plateau |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest
point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m |
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Natural resources: |
petroleum,
diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper,
feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium |
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Land use: |
arable
land: 2.41%
permanent crops:
0.24%
other: 97.35% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
750
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards: |
locally
heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding
on the plateau |
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Geography - note: |
the
province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated
from the rest of the country by the Democratic
Republic of the Congo |
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Population: |
11,190,786
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14
years: 43.4% (male 2,454,209/female
2,407,083)
15-64 years: 53.7%
(male 3,059,339/female 2,955,060)
65
years and over: 2.8% (male 139,961/female
175,134) (2005 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 38.43 years
male:
37.28 years
female: 39.64 years
(2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
6.27
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence
rate: |
3.9%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
21,000
(2003 est.) |
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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) are high risks in some
locations
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis
water contact
disease: schistosomiasis (2004) |
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Ethnic groups: |
Ovimbundu
37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico
(mixed European and native African) 2%,
European 1%, other 22% |
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Religions: |
indigenous
beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant
15% (1998 est.) |
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Languages: |
Portuguese
(official), Bantu and other African languages
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Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.8%
male:
82.1%
female: 53.8% (2001 est.)
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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 |
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Government type: |
republic,
nominally a multiparty democracy with a
strong presidential system |
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Capital: |
Luanda
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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 |
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Independence: |
11
November 1975 (from Portugal) |
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National holiday: |
Independence
Day, 11 November (1975) |
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Constitution: |
11
November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11
August 1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August
1992; note - new constitution has not yet
been approved |
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Legal system: |
based
on Portuguese civil law system and customary
law; recently modified to accommodate political
pluralism and increased use of free markets
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme
Court or Tribunal da Relacao (judges are
appointed by the president) |
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Political parties and leaders: |
Liberal
Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria
PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation
of Angola or FNLA [disputed leadership:
Lucas NGONDA, Holden ROBERTO]; National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola
or UNITA [Isaias SAMAKUVA], largest opposition
party has engaged in years of armed resistance;
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
or MPLA [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS], ruling
party in power since 1975; Social Renewal
Party or PRS [disputed leadership: Eduardo
KUANGANA, Antonio MUACHICUNGO]
note:
about a dozen minor parties participated
in the 1992 elections but only won a few
seats and have little influence in the National
Assembly |
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Political pressure groups
and leaders: |
Front
for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda
or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio
Bento BEMBE]
note: FLEC is waging
a small-scale, highly factionalized, armed
struggle for the independence of Cabinda
Province |
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International organization
participation: |
ACP,
AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA,
NAM, OAS (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO |
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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) |
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Economy - overview: |
Angola's
high growth rate is driven by its oil sector,
but record oil prices and rising petroleum
production have occurred without improved
performance in other parts of the economy.
Oil production and its supporting activities,
contribute about 45% to GDP and more than
half of exports, and much of the country's
infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped
from the 22 year-long civil war. Remnants
of the conflict such as widespread land
mines still mar the countryside even though
an apparently durable peace has been established
after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI
in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture
provides the main livelihood for 85% of
the population, but much of the country's
food must still be imported. In 2005, the
government started using a $2 billion line
of credit from China to rebuild Angola's
public infrastructure, and several large-scale
projects are scheduled for completion by
2006. The central bank in 2003 implemented
an exchange rate stabilization program using
foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas
out of circulation, a policy that was more
sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil
export earnings, and has significantly reduced
inflation. Consumer inflation declined from
325% in 2000 to about 18% in 2005, but the
stabilization policy places pressure on
international net liquidity. To fully take
advantage of its rich national resources
- gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic
fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola
will need to continue reforming government
policies and to reduce corruption. The government
has made sufficient progress on reforms
recommended by the IMF, such as promoting
greater transparency in government spending,
and continues to be without a formal monitoring
agreement with the institution. Increased
oil production supported 12% growth in 2004
and 14% growth in 2005. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$27.66
billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange
rate): |
$24.13
billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
14.1%
(2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $2,500 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture:
8%
industry: 67%
services:
25% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force: |
5.58
million (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed): |
30.6%
of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues:
$8.5 billion
expenditures: $10
billion, including capital expenditures
of $963 million (2005 est.) |
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Public debt: |
40.9%
of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
bananas,
sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton,
manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains;
livestock; forest products; fish |
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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 |
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Electricity - production: |
1.916
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production
by source: |
fossil
fuel: 36.4%
hydro: 63.6%
nuclear: 0%
other:
0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption: |
1.782
billion kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production: |
1.6
million bbl/day (2005 est.) |
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Oil - consumption: |
46,000
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves: |
25
billion bbl (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas - production: |
530
million cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves: |
79.57
billion cu m (2005) |
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Current account balance: |
$4.484
billion (2005 est.) |
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Exports: |
$26.8
billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Exports - partners: |
US
37.7%, China 35.6%, Taiwan 6.7%, France
6.4% (2004) |
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Imports: |
$8.165
billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Imports - partners: |
South
Korea 28.3%, Portugal 13.1%, US 9.3%, South
Africa 7.4%, Brazil 5.6%, Japan 4.8%, France
4.4% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange
and gold: |
$2.425
billion (2005 est.) |
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Debt - external: |
$9.879
billion (2005 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
$383.5
million (1999) |
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Currency (code): |
kwanza
(AOA) |
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Currency code: |
AOA
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Airports: |
243
(2004 est.) |
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Pipelines: |
gas
214 km; liquid natural gas 14 km; liquid
petroleum gas 30 km; oil 837 km; refined
products 56 km (2004) |
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Railways: |
total:
2,761 km
narrow gauge: 2,638
km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2004)
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Roadways: |
total:
51,429 km
paved: 5,349 km
unpaved: 46,080 km (2001) |
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Waterways: |
1,300
km (2004) |
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Merchant marine: |
total:
4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 26,123 GRT/42,879
DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo
2, petroleum tanker 1
registered
in other countries: 4 (2005) |
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Ports and terminals: |
Cabinda,
Luanda, Soyo |
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