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Destination : ANGOLA

Angola lies in Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital is the city of Luanda (pop. 3.8 million). Other important cities are ; Huambo (750,000) and Benguela (600,000).Angola is located on the South Atlantic Coast of West Africa between Namibia and the Republic of the Congo. It also is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to the east. The country is divided into an arid coastal strip stretching from Namibia to Luanda; a wet, interior highland; a dry savanna in the interior south and southeast; and rain forest in the north and in Cabinda. The Zambezi River and several tributaries of the Congo River have their sources in Angola. The coastal strip is tempered by the cool Benguela current, resulting in a climate similar to coastal Peru or Baja California. There is a short rainy season lasting from February to April. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild. The interior highlands have a mild climate with a rainy season from November through April followed by a cool dry season from May to October. Elevations generally range from 3,000 to 6,000 feet. The far north and Cabinda enjoy rain throughout much of the year.

Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed forces. A national unity government was installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in fighting over the past quarter century. In April 2000, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously to tighten sanctions against UNITA in response to violations of the UNSC's three previous sanctions resolutions on UNITA. The U.S. government has also placed sanctions on UNITA. Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has announced he will not run in the next election. President dos Santos stated that the next elections could be held in 2002 or 2003. Angola's first multi-party elections were held in 1992. The renewal of hostilities has led to the postponement of subsequently scheduled elections.
Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo, 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. In addition, mixed racial (European and Africa) people amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-Angolan population, with at least 30,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). Portuguese is both the official and predominant language.

The Angolan economy is highly dependent on its offshore oil sector, which accounts for over 60% (in 1999) of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and nearly 90% of government revenues. Angola maintains positive GDP growth rates due to the strength of its oil sector, which has very few linkages to other sectors of the economy. Angola's economy grew by 2.1% (real GDP growth rate) in 2000 and the economy is expected to grow an additional 3.3% in 2001. In spite of Angola's expanding economy, the majority of Angola's 10 million people live in poverty. In 2000, inflation was 325%, mainly due to government defense expenditures and a lax monetary policy. Inflation should decrease in 2001 to 128%. In April 2000, Angola signed a nine-month economic monitoring program agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that requires Angola to undertake a sustained program of economic reforms before it is considered for a formal loan agreement. Under the agreement with the IMF, Angola has promised to allow outside auditors to examine the way it spends oil money. The IMF stated in July 2001, that although several economic targets were not met, the Angolan government has made progress in several areas including price liberalization, exchange rate stability and reductions in inflation (at 49.5% for the first five months of 2001, inflation was its lowest point in 11 years).