{
"Introduction": {
"Background": {
"text": "Bantu-speaking people settled in the area now called Angola in 6th century A.D.; by the 10th century various Bantu groups had established kingdoms, of which Kongo became the most powerful. From the late 14th to the mid 19th century a Kingdom of Kongo stretched across central Africa from present-day northern Angola into the current Congo republics. It traded heavily with the Portuguese who, beginning in the 16th century, established coastal colonies and trading posts and introduced Christianity. Angola became a major hub of the transatlantic slave trade conducted by the Portuguese and other European powers - often in collaboration with local kingdoms including the Kongo. Estimates are that the Angola area may have lost as many as 4 million people as a result of the slave trade. The Kingdom of Kongo’s main rival was the Kingdom of Ndongo to its south, whose most famous leader was the 17th century diplomat to the Portuguese and later Queen, Nzingha Mbande, who successfully fought off Portuguese encroachment during her nearly 40-year reign. Smaller kingdoms, such as the Matamba and Ngoyo, often came under the control of the Kongo or Ndongo Kingdoms. During the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, Angola’s modern borders were set by Portugal and other European powers, but the Portuguese did not fully control of large portions of the territory. Portugal gained control of the Kingdom of Kongo in 1888 when Kongo’s King Pedro V sought Portuguese military assistance in exchange for becoming a vassal. After a revolt in 1914, Portugal imposed direct rule over the colony and abolished the Kongo Kingdom.
The Angolan National Revolution began in 1961 and in 1975, Angola won its independence when Portugal’s dictatorship fell, in part because of growing discontent over conflict in Angola and other colonies. Conflict between Angola’s multiple independence movements quickly emerged with the Popular Movement for Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Agostinho NETO, taking power and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, emerging as its main competitor. After NETO’s death in 1979, Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, also of the MPLA, became president. Over time, the Angolan civil war escalated and became a major Cold War conflict with the MPLA supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba and UNITA by apartheid South Africa and the US. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - during the more than a quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and cemented the MPLA's hold on power. DOS SANTOS did not seek reelection in 2017 and supported Joao LOURENCO’s successful bid to become president. LOURENCO was reelected in 2022. Angola scores low on human development indexes despite using its large oil reserves to rebuild since the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "12 30 S, 18 30 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Africa" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "1,246,700 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "1,246,700 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "0 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "about eight times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of Texas" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "5,369 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province); Republic of the Congo 231 km; Namibia 1,427 km; Zambia 1,065 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "1,600 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)" }, "Terrain": { "text": "narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Moco 2,620 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "1,112 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "45.7% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 41.5% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "54.3% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "860 sq km (2014)" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s], Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Okavango river source (shared with Namibia and Botswana [m]) - 1,600 kmMore than two decades after the end of Angola's 27-year civil war, the country still faces a variety of socioeconomic problems, including poverty, high maternal and child mortality, and illiteracy. Despite the country's rapid post-war economic growth based on oil production, about 30 percent of Angolans live below the poverty line and unemployment is widespread, especially among the large young-adult population. Only about 70% of the population is literate, and the rate drops to around 60% for women. The youthful population - about 48% are under the age of 15 as of 2022 - is expected to continue growing rapidly with a fertility rate of more than 5 children per woman and a low rate of contraceptive use. Fewer than half of women deliver their babies with the assistance of trained health care personnel, which contributes to Angola's high maternal mortality rate.
Of the estimated 550,000 Angolans who fled their homeland during its civil war, most have returned home since 2002. In 2012, the UN assessed that conditions in Angola had been stable for several years and invoked a cessation of refugee status for Angolans. Following the cessation clause, some of those still in exile returned home voluntarily through UN repatriation programs, and others integrated into host countries.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "47.18% (male 8,503,242/female 8,473,889)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "50.49% (male 8,730,015/female 9,435,581)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "2.33% (2023 est.) (male 350,059/female 488,495)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "91.5" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "86.5" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "5" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "20.1 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "15.9 years" }, "male": { "text": "15.4 years" }, "female": { "text": "16.4 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "3.34% (2023 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "41.42 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "most people live in the western half of the country; urban areas account for the highest concentrations of people, particularly the capital of Luanda as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "68.7% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "9.292 million LUANDA (capital), 959,000 Lubango, 905,000 Cabinda, 809,000 Benguela, 783,000 Malanje (2023)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "0.93 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.72 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "19.4 years (2015/16 est.)", "note": "note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "222 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "57.2 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "62.37 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "51.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "62.51 years" }, "male": { "text": "60.44 years" }, "female": { "text": "64.65 years (2023 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "5.76 children born/woman (2023 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "2.84 (2023 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "13.7% (2015/16)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 81.3% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 36.5% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 66.5% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 18.7% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 63.5% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 33.5% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "2.9% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2018)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 93.7% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 30.3% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 72.7% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 6.3% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 69.7% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 27.3% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "very high (2023)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever" }, "vectorborne diseases": { "text": "dengue fever, malaria" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" }, "animal contact diseases": { "text": "rabies" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "8.2% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "5.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "3.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "0.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "1.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "19% (2015/16)" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "55.7% (2023 est.)" }, "Child marriage": { "women married by age 15": { "text": "7.9%" }, "women married by age 18": { "text": "30.3%" }, "men married by age 18": { "text": "6% (2016 est.)" } }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "2.4% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "71.1%" }, "male": { "text": "82.6%" }, "female": { "text": "62.4% (2015)" } }, "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": { "total": { "text": "18.5%" }, "male": { "text": "18.2%" }, "female": { "text": "18.8% (2021 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "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": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Climate": { "text": "semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "45.7% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 41.5% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "54.3% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "68.7% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0.36% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "27.95 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "34.69 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "23.28 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "4,213,644 tons (2012 est.)" } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s], Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Okavango river source (shared with Namibia and Botswana [m]) - 1,600 kmAngola-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): DRC accuses Angola of shifting monuments
Angola-Namibia: none identified
Angola-Republic of Congo: (Kabinda Exclave) none identified
Angola-Zambia: because the straight-line segments along the left bank (Zambian side) of the Cuando/Kwando River do not conform with the physical alignment of the unstable shoreline, Zambian residents in some areas have settled illegally on sections of shoreline that fall on the Angolan side of the boundary
used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western Europe and other African states, particularly South Africa
" } } }