Background: Angola has begun to enjoy the fruits of peace since 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 national elections in 2006.

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S 18 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1,246,700 km²
Land: 1,246,700 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,198 km
Border countries: (4) 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

Coastline: 1600 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Natural resources: petroleum diamonds iron ore phosphates copper feldspar gold bauxite uranium

Land use
Arable land: 2.41%
Permanent crops: 0.24%
Other: 97.35% (2001)

Irrigated land: 750 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau

Geography
Note: the province of Cabinda is an exclave separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Population: 10,978,552 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 1.93% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 70% (2003 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Angolan
Adjective: Angolan

Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37% Kimbundu 25% Bakongo 13% mestico (mixed European and Native African) 2% European 1% other 22%

Languages: Portuguese (official) Bantu and other African languages

Religions: indigenous beliefs 47% Roman Catholic 38% Protestant 15% (1998 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.5% (male 2,410,326; female 2,363,368)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,998,892; female 2,897,837)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 137,340; female 170,789) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.1 years
Male: 18.1 years
Female: 18.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.93% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 45.14 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 25.86 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Environment
Current issues: 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 192.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 204.97 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 179.41 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 36.79 years
Male: 36.06 years
Female: 37.55 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 240,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 21,000 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 42%
Male: 56%
Female: 28% (1998 est.)

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

Government type: republic nominally a multiparty democracy with a strong presidential system

Capital: Luanda

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

Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day 11 November (1975)

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

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Fernando de Piedade Dias DOS SANTOS was appointed Prime Minister on 6 December 2002, but this is not a position of real power
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by universal ballot for a NA-year term; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA)
Election results: DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held and SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA)
Election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%, others 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD 3, others 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal da Relacao (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders
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

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKIDI
In the us chancery: 2,108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156
In the us fax: [1] (202) 785-1258
In the us consulates general: Houston and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher William DELL
From the us embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of Luanda), Luanda
From the us mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6,468, Luanda; pouch: American Embassy Luanda, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-2,550
From the us telephone: [244] (2) 445-481, 447-028, 446-224
From the us fax: [244] (2) 446-924

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)

Economy overview: Angola has been an economy in disarray because of a quarter century of nearly continuous warfare. An apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI on February 22 2002 but consequences from the conflict continue including the impact of wide-spread land mines. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 85% of the population. Oil production and the supporting activities are vital to the economy contributing about 45% to GDP and more than half of exports. Much of the country's food must still be imported. To fully take advantage of its rich natural resources - gold diamonds extensive forests Atlantic fisheries and large oil deposits - Angola will need to continue reforming government policies and to reduce corruption. While Angola made progress in bringing inflation down further from 325% in 2000 to about 106% in 2002 the government has failed to make sufficient progress on reforms recommended by the IMF such as increasing foreign exchange reserves and promoting greater transparency in government spending. Increased oil production supported 7% GDP growth in 2003.

Real gdp growth rate: 1.5% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1900 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 8%
Industry: 67%
Services: 25% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas sugarcane coffee sisal corn cotton manioc (tapioca) tobacco vegetables plantains; livestock; forest products; fish

Industries: petroleum; diamonds iron ore phosphates feldspar bauxite uranium and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing; brewing; tobacco products; sugar; textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2000)

Labor force: 5.57 million (2003 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 85%
By occupation industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: 70% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Budget
Revenues: $4.874 billion
Expenditures: $6.012 billion, including capital expenditures of $963 million (2003 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 76.6% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $-475 million (2003)

Exports: $9.669 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: crude oil diamonds refined petroleum products gas coffee sisal fish and fish products timber cotton
Partners: US 47.7% China 23.4% Taiwan 8% France 7.4% (2003)

Imports: $4.08 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment vehicles and spare parts; medicines food textiles military goods
Partners: Portugal 18.2% South Africa 12.4% US 12.2% Netherlands 11.6% France 6.5% Brazil 6.1% UK 4.2% (2003)

Debt external: $9.164 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: kwanza per US dollar - 74.6063 (2003) 43.5302 (2002) 22.0579 (2001) 10.041 (2000) 2.791 (1999) 0.393 (1998); note - in December 1999 the kwanza was revalued with six zeroes dropped off the old value

Electricity
Production: 1.45 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 1.348 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 530 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 530 million m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 79.57 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 96,300 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 130,000 (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: telephone service limited mostly to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for military links
Domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
International: country code - 244; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Internet
Country code: .ao
Hosts: 17 (2003)
Users: 41,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $265.1 million (2003)
Percent of gdp: 1.9% (2003)

Airports: 244 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 32
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 211
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 30
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 95
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 80 (2004 est.)

Pipelines: gas 214 km; liquid natural gas 14 km; liquid petroleum gas 30 km; oil 837 km; refined products 56 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 2,761 km
Narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2003)

Waterways: 1300 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 26,123 GRT/42,879 DWT
By type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1
Registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)

Disputes international: continues to give shelter to refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo while many Angolan refugees and Cabinda exclave secessionists reside in neighboring states

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 40,000 - 60,000 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2004)

Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western Europe and other African states