TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Beautiful beaches, virgin wildlife parks and Africa's second largest waterfall, Angola has a huge potential for tourizm. The February, 2002 ceasefire brought in a new era of peace and economic stability, openong doors for travel opportunities for exploration.
Set on the Atlantic coast with a harbour and open sea, the capital city Luanda is a very much overcrowded city with slums in the suburbs. There are some red-roofed historical colonial buildings in the centre of the city.
Largely unaffected by the civil war, Lubango provides access to the coastal town of Namibe and its excellent beaches. On the way you will pass the Tunda-Vala volcanic fissure 20km (12mi) from Lubango, where you can climb to the peak at 2,600m (8528 ft).
Kissama National wildlife park, situated 70km (43.5 mi) south of Luanda, is Angola's most accessible and well-stocked wildlife park. It is home to elephants, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, water buffalo, antelopes and sea turtles.
Benguela city is the country's second most important city and the Angola's cultural capital. You can take a 30 km (19 mi) long train trip from Beguela to Lobito from the Benguela's central station. The trip lasts 90 minutes. The carriages do not offer a comfortable ride, but the journey is very authentic and colorful.

TRAVEL TIPS

Communication with local population is possible mostly in the Portuguese language only. The Benfica Handcrafts Market to the south of Luanda offers the best prices for handcrafts and souvenirs. Angolan cuisine is varied and tasteful, with local dishes based mainly on fish, cassava products and spicy stews. Food in Angola is expensive and many restaurants have poor hygienic conditions. We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling to Angola. It is advised against all but essential travel outside Luanda and especially to North and South Lunda Provinces. There is widespread poverty, social exclusion and disease; a shattered infrastructure and millions of mines and items of unexploded ordnance throughout most of the country. There is a high level of crime in Luanda. Muggings (particularly to steal mobile phones), car-jackings and armed robberies can occur in any area at any time. A high proportion of the civil population is armed. Avoid walking around Luanda after dark. Take sensible precautions. Safeguard valuables and cash. Deposit them in hotel safes where practical. Keep copies of important documents, including passports in a separate place to the documents themselves. Certified copies of passports and/or identity documents should be carried with you at all times. Road conditions are very poor and travel is usually in convoy. Outside major urban areas, mines and unexploded ordnance are a significant problem. You must not use cameras, binoculars, maps, etc near government buildings of any description. Taking photographs in the streets can draw the attention of criminals and the authorities. Drug taking and smuggling is an offence. Homosexuality is illegal. You will need to obtain a valid entry visa before travelling to Angola and your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months on entry. You will also need a certificate of inoculation against Yellow Fever, otherwise you may have to be inoculated at the airport. Health care is limited. Take particular care with any foods bought at the roadside or in the markets, drink or use only boiled/bottled water, and avoid ice in drinks. If you suffer from diarrhoea during a visit to one of the affected areas in Angola you should consult a doctor immediately. Hepatitis A and B, rabies, and polio are prevalent in Angola. Malaria is endemic in Angola. You should take adequate precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes.
Check the list of Embassies of Angola to the World or Embassies of Other Nations to Angola.

BRIEF HISTORY

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunters and gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations. In present-day Angola, Portugese settled in 1483 at the river Congo, where the Kongo State, Ndongo and Lunda existed. Full Portuguese administrative control of the interior didn't occur until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1951 the colony was restyled as an overseas province, also called Portuguese West Africa. After the overthrow of fascist Portugal's government by a socialist-inspired military coup, Angola's nationalist parties began to negotiate for independence in January 1975. An agreement was reached with the Portuguese government, with independence to be declared in November 1975. Almost immediately, a civil war broke out between MPLA, UNITA and FNLA, exacerbated by foreign intervention. Upon independence from Portugal in 1975, Angola's capital and nominal government came under the one-party rule of the Popular Liberation Movement. 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), 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.

GEOGRAPHY

Area: total: 1,246,700 sq km; land: 1,246,700 sq km; water: 0 sq km .
Border Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zambia.
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.
Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc.
Natural Hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau.
Environmental Problems: 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.

PEOPLE

Population: 12,000,000.
Median Age: total: 18 years; male: 18 years; female: 18 years.
Life Expectancy: male: 37.47 years, female: 39.83 years.
Fertility Rate: 6.35 children born per woman.
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.
Major 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%.
Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages.

GOVERNMENT

Type: emerging democracy.
Capital City: Tirana (Tirane).
Time Difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time); daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October. Check current time.
Administrative Divisions: 12 counties.
National Holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912).
Chief of State: President of the Republic.
Head of Government: Prime Minister.
Cabinet: Council of Ministers.
Legislative Branch: unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats).

ECONOMY

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 half of GDP and 90% of exports. Increased oil production supported 12% growth in 2004 and 19% growth in 2005. 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 half of the population, but half 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 but continues to be without a formal monitoring agreement with the institution.
GDP: $45.32 billion, Growth Rate: 19.9%, GDP Per Capita: $3,800.
Unemployment Rate: 17,1%
Population Below Powerty Line: extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population.
Agriculture Products: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish.
Major 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.
Export Commodities: crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton.
Export Partners: US 39.8%, China 29.6%, France 7.8%, Chile 5.4%, Taiwan 4.4%.
Import Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods.
Import Partners: South Korea 20.8%, Portugal 13.6%, US 12.7%, South Africa 7.5%, Brazil 5.6%, France 5.3%, China 5.1%.
Currency: kwanza (AOA). Check current rate of exchange.

TRANSPORT

Airports: 31
Railways: 52,761 km.
Roadways: 51,429 km.
Major Ports and Terminals: Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo.