Angola




                                 Geography


Location:
     Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Namibia
     and Zaire
Map references:
     Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     1,246,700 sq km
land area:
     1,246,700 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
     total 5,198 km, Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zaire 2,511 km, Zambia
     1,110 km
Coastline:
     1,600 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     20 nm
International disputes:
     none
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, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold,
     bauxite, uranium
Land use:
arable land:
     2%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     23%
forest and woodland:
     43%
other:
     32%
Irrigated land:
     NA km2




Environment:
current issues:
     population pressures contributing to overuse of pastures and
     subsequent soil erosion; desertification; deforestation of tropical
     rain forest attributable to the international demand for tropical
     timber and domestic use as a fuel; deforestation contributing to loss
     of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and
     siltation of rivers and dams; scarcity of potable water
natural hazards:
     locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
international agreements:
     party to - Law of the Sea; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
     Climate Change
Note:
     Cabinda is separated from rest of country by Zaire


                                  People


Population:
     9,803,576 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.67% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     45.43 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     18.55 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     145.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     45.77 years
male:
     43.72 years
female:
     47.92 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.48 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Angolan(s)
adjective:
     Angolan
Ethnic divisions:
     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% (est.)
Languages:
     Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     42%




male:
     56%
female:
     28%
Labor force:
     2.783 million economically active
by occupation:
     agriculture 85%, industry 15% (1985 est.)


                                Government


Note:
     Civil war has been the norm since independence on 11 November 1975; a
     cease-fire lasted from 31 May 1991 until October 1992 when the
     insurgent National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)
     refused to accept its defeat in internationally monitored elections;
     fighting has since resumed throughout much of the countryside.
     Nevertheless, the two sides are negotiating the details for holding
     the second round of presidential elections.
Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Angola
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica de Angola
local short form:
former:
     People's Republic of Angola
Digraph:
     AO
Type:
     transitional government 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
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)
head of government:
     Prime Minister Marcolino Jose Carlos MOCO (since 2 December 1992)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional):
     first nationwide, multiparty elections were held 29-30 September 1992
     with disputed results; further elections are being discussed
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court (Tribunal da Relacao)
Political parties and leaders:
     Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose
     Eduardo DOS SANTOS, is the ruling party and has been in power since
     1975; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led
     by Jonas SAVIMBI, remains a legal party despite its return to armed
     resistance to the government; five minor parties have small numbers of
     seats in the National Assembly
Other political or pressure groups:
     Cabindan State Liberation Front (FLEC), N'ZITA Tiago, leader of
     largest faction (FLEC-FAC)
note:
     FLEC is waging a small-scale, highly factionalized, armed struggle for
     the independence of Cabinda Province
Member of:
     ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC (observer), ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
     IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU,
     LORCS, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
     WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Jose PATRICIO
embassy:
     1899 L Street NW, 5th floor, Washington, DC 20038
telephone:
     (202) 785-1156
FAX:
     (202) 785-1258
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Edmund DE JARNETTE
embassy:
     Miramar, Luanda
mailing address:
     CP6484, Luanda, Angola (mail international); US Embassy, Luanda,
     Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-2550 (pouch)
telephone:
     [244] (2) 39-24-98
FAX:
     [244] (2) 39-05-15




Flag:
     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:
     Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 80-90% of the
     population but accounts for less than 15% of GDP. Oil production is
     vital to the economy, contributing about 60% to GDP. Bitter internal
     fighting continues to severely affect the economy, and food must be
     imported. In 1993, production fell by an estimated 22.6%, mainly
     because of the capture by insurgents of the oil town of Soyo and
     diamond-producing areas in northeastern Angola. Angola has rich
     natural resources - notably gold, diamonds, and arable land, in
     addition to large oil depoaits - but will need to end the war and
     reform government policies if it is to achieve its potential.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -22.6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     1,840% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     15% with considerable underemployment (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $928 million
expenditures:
     $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $963 million (1992
     est.)
Exports:
     $3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish
     and fish products, timber, cotton
partners:
     US, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil
Imports:
     $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
     capital equipment (machinery and electrical equipment), food, vehicles
     and spare parts, textiles and clothing, medicines; substantial
     military deliveries
partners:
     Portugal, Brazil, US, France, Spain
External debt:
     $8 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%; accounts for about 60% of GDP, including petroleum
     output




Electricity:
capacity:
     510,000 kW
production:
     800 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     84 kWh (1991)
Industries:
     petroleum; mining - diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite,
     uranium, and gold; fish processing; food processing; brewing; tobacco;
     sugar; textiles; cement; basic metal products
Agriculture:
     cash crops - bananas, sugar cane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, cane,
     manioc, tobacco; food crops - cassava, corn, vegetables, plantains ;
     livestock production accounts for 20%, fishing 4%, forestry 2% of
     total agricultural output; disruptions caused by civil war, and
     marketing deficiencies require food imports
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $265 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
     $1.105 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion; net
     official disbursements (1985-89), $750 million
Currency:
     1 new kwanza (NKz) = 100 lwei
Exchange rates:
     kwanza (Kz) per US$1 - 90,000 (official rate 1June 1994), 180,000
     (black market rate 1 June 1994); 7,000 (official rate 16 December
     1993), 50,000 (black market rate 16 December 1993); 3,884 (July 1993);
     550 (April 1992); 90 (November 1991); 60 (October 1990)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     3,189 km total; 2,879 km 1.067-meter gauge, 310 km 0.600-meter gauge;
     limited trackage in use because of landmines still in place from the
     civil war; majority of the Benguela Railroad also closed because of
     civil war
Highways:
total:
     73,828 km
paved:
     bituminous-surface 8,577 km
unpaved:
     crushed stone, gravel, improved earth 29,350 km; unimproved earth
     35,901 km
Inland waterways:
     1,295 km navigable
Pipelines:
     crude oil 179 km
Ports:
     Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, Cabinda




Merchant marine:
     12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 63,776 GRT/99,863 DWT, cargo 11,
     oil tanker 1
Airports:
total:
     302
usable:
     175
with permanent-surface runways:
     32
with runways over 3,659 m:
     2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     18
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     59
Telecommunications:
     limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and troposcatter
     routes; high frequency radio used extensively for military links;
     telephone service limited mostly to government and business use;
     40,300 telephones (4.1 telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast
     stations - 17 AM, 13 FM, 6 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
     stations


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force/Air Defense, People's Defense Organization and
     Territorial Troops,
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 2,262,669; fit for military service 1,139,319; reach
     military age (18) annually 96,900 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP