World Country Guide

General Information

Area
1,246,700 sq km (481,354 sq miles).

Population
13,184,000 (UN estimate 2002).

Population density
10.6 per sq km..

Capital
Luanda. Population: 2,819,000 (UN estimate 2001).

Geography
Angola is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, Namibia to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Mountains rise from the coast, levelling to a plateau which makes up most of the country. The country is increasingly arid towards the south; the far south is on the edge of the Namib Desert. The northern plateau is thickly vegetated. Cabinda is a small enclave to the north of Angola proper, surrounded by the territories of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congo. The discovery of large oil deposits off the coast of the enclave has led to it becoming the centre of Angola’s foreign business interests. The oil industry is based primarily at Malongo.

Government
Republic. Gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Head of State: President Jos Eduardo dos Santos since 1979. Prime Minister Fernando Dias dos Santos since 2002.

Language
The official language is Portuguese. African languages (Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo and Chokwe being the most common) are spoken by the majority of the population.

Religion
Mainly Roman Catholic (51 per cent). There are also other Christian minorities. Local Animist beliefs are held by a significant minority.

Time
GMT + 1.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are of the European-style round two-pin type.

Communications

Telephone
Until recently, all international calls had to be made through the operator, booking in advance. Direct calls to Luanda (although not to the rest of the country) are increasingly available. Country code: 244.

Mobile telephone
Angola Telecom and Unitel are the main service providers, with coverage restricted to areas around Luanda.

Fax
Services are available at most major hotels.

Internet
Local ISPs include EBONET (website: www.ebonet.net) and Nexus (website: www.nexus.ao). Internet roaming agreements exist. There are a few Internet cafes in Luanda.

Telegram
Services are fairly reliable, but are occasionally subject to delay.

Post
Airmail between Europe and Angola takes five to 10 days. Surface mail between Europe and Angola takes at least two months. There is a fairly reliable internal service. Most correspondence is by telex.

Press
The daily newspaper is O Jornal de Angola (government controlled); Dirio da Repblica is the official government newsletter. There are some independent publications and journals. There are no English-language newspapers.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.