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Angola Index
Internal security responsibilities in Angola were
distributed
among the ministries of defense, state security, and
interior, plus
the People's Vigilance Brigades (Brigadas Populares de
Vigilância--
BPV). This elaborate internal security establishment was
another
manifestation of endemic crises and the mass mobilization
undertaken to cope with them. The Ministry of Defense's
Directorate
of People's Defense and Territorial Troops, established as
the ODP
in late 1975, had 600,000 members, with some of these
personnel in
virtually every village by 1979. By that time, 50,000 ODP
troops
were also reported to be fighting alongside the regular
army
against UNITA and the SADF. Estimates of the size of the
ODP
militia in the late 1980s varied widely, from an effective
strength
of 50,000, one-fifth of whom served with FAPLA, to a
nominal
(possibly reserve) strength of 500,000. This militia had
both armed
and unarmed units dispersed in villages throughout the
country to
guard likely UNITA targets such as bridges, power plants,
wells,
schools, and clinics. The ODP also cooperated with FAPLA,
sometimes
in joint operations, to thwart infiltration and attacks by
small
units in areas where UNITA or other insurgent forces were
operating.
State security functions were assigned to the Angolan
Directorate of Intelligence and Security (Direção de
Informação e
Segurança de Angola -- DISA) in the Ministry of Interior.
As the
principal internal security organ with intelligence
collection and
political police functions, the DISA was powerful and
feared. Its
national security police force had wide-ranging powers and
discretion to conduct investigations, make arrests, detain
individuals, and determine how they would be treated.
Indeed,
during Colonel Ludy Kissassunda's tenure as director
(1975-79), the
agency came into disrepute for excesses that included
torture and
summary executions. In mid-1979 President Neto announced
the
dissolution of the DISA, the arrest of Kissassunda and
several
other top security officials, and the reorganization of
the state
security apparatus. Although officially abolished, the
DISA
remained the colloquial term for the state security
police. Its
agents were trained at a school in Luanda by East German
and Soviet
instructors. The DISA reportedly also operated out of the
Angolan
chancery in Portugal to maintain surveillance over
expatriate
activities and received assistance from counterparts in
various
communist embassies in Lisbon.
The Ministry of State Security was created in July 1980
as part
of a government reorganization by dividing the Ministry of
Interior
into two separate ministries. The new ministry
consolidated the
DISA's internal security functions with those relating to
counterintelligence, control of foreigners, anti-UNITA
operations,
and frontier security. Colonel Kundi Paihama, the former
minister
of interior, became the minister of state security upon
creation of
the ministry, but in late 1981 Colonel Paulo succeeded
Paihama.
In early 1986, after having revitalized the party
organs and
formed a new Political Bureau, President dos Santos
undertook to
purge and reorganize the Ministry of State Security. He
removed
Paulo and Deputy Minister Mendes António de Castro, took
over the
portfolio himself, and appointed Major Fernando Dias da
Piedade dos
Santos, deputy minister of interior since mid-1984, as new
deputy
minister of state security. In March 1986, the president
formed the
Commission for Reorganization of the Ministry of State
Security,
composed of all the directors at the ministries of
interior and
state security, under Piedade dos Santos's leadership.
After the
arrest and jailing of several senior state security
officials for
abuse of their positions, corruption, and other
irregularities, the
commission was disbanded in March 1988. In May 1988,
President dos
Santos relinquished the state security portfolio to
Paihama, who
also retained the position of minister of state for
inspection and
control.
The Angolan Border Guard (Tropa Guarda Fronteira
Angolana--
TGFA), under the Ministry of State Security, was
responsible for
maintaining security along more than 5,000 kilometers of
land
borders with Congo, Zaire, Zambia, and Namibia; maritime
border
surveillance may also have been included in the TGFA's
mission. The
TGFA's strength was estimated at 7,000 in 1988. Local
training took
place under Cuban instructors at several centers,
including
Omupanda, Saurimo, Negage, and Caota, although some border
guards
were sent to Cuba, presumably for advanced or specialized
training.
After its reorganization in 1980, the Ministry of
Interior
supervised the national police, provincial administration,
and
investigation of economic activities. Although the
Ministry of
State Security was responsible for administering the
national
prison system, certain prison camps were run by the
Ministry of
Interior. It was unclear how territorial administration
was carried
out in relation to the regional military and provincial
defense
councils. Colonel Manuel Alexandre Rodriques (nom de
guerre Kito),
who had been vice minister of interior in charge of
internal order
and the national police, was promoted to minister in the
1980
reorganization and was still serving in that post in late
1988. At
that time, however, in response to reports that "special
forces of
a commando nature" had been established within the
ministry without
authorization, President dos Santos ordered an
investigation as a
prelude to a restructuring and personnel purge.
The national Angolan People's Police evolved from the
Portuguese colonial police and the People's Police Corps
of Angola,
which was set up in 1976 under the Ministry of Defense.
Headquartered in Luanda but organized under provincial and
local
commands, the police numbered about 8,000 men and women
and
reportedly was supported by a paramilitary force of 10,000
that
resembled a national guard. Cuban advisers provided most
recruit
training at the Kapolo Martyrs Practical Police School in
Luanda,
but some police training was also given in Cuba and
Nigeria. In
1984 Minister of Interior Rodriques dismissed Fernando da
Conceiç o
as police director and named Piedrade dos Santos as his
provisional
replacement. Rodriques relieved Major Bartolomeu Feliciano
Ferreira
Neto as chief of the general staff of the police general
command in
November 1987, appointing Inspector José Adão de Silva as
interim
chief of the general staff pending a permanent posting. In
December
1988, Armindo Fernandes do Espirito Santo Vieira was
appointed
commander general of the Angolan People's Police
(apparently the
top police post, formerly titled director). At the same
time,
police functions were being reorganized and consolidated
within the
Ministry of Interior to eliminate unauthorized activities,
give the
police more autonomy, and make them more responsive to
party and
government direction.
Finally, President dos Santos created the BPV in August
1983 as
a mass public order, law enforcement, and public service
force in
urban areas. Organizationally, the BPV had ministerial
status, and
its commander reported directly to the president. In some
ways, the
BPV was the urban counterpart of the Directorate of
People's
Defense and Territorial Troops. Unlike this directorate,
however,
whose members served alongside the army, the BPV was
strictly
defensive. Some BPV units were armed, but most performed
public
security and welfare duties and local political and
ideological
work--including intelligence gathering, surveillance and
security
patrols, civil defense, crime prevention and detection,
and the
organization of health, sanitation, recreation,
beautification, and
other social services--with and through local government
and the
field offices of central government agencies. The brigades
were
organized at the provincial level and below, operated in
small
units of up to 100 members, and expanded rapidly,
particularly in
areas affected by UNITA insurgency. In late 1984, a large
number of
FAPLA soldiers were integrated into the BPV to strengthen
its
numbers and technical military skills. The BPV was also
reported to
serve as a recruitment pool for FAPLA. By 1987 the BPV's
strength
was estimated by various sources to be from 800,000 to 1.5
million.
A third of its members were said to be women, organized
into 30,000
brigades under Colonel Alexandre Lemos de Lucas (nom de
guerre Bota
Militar).
The rapid growth and diverse social composition of the
BPV were
illustrated by reports from Namibe and Huambo provinces.
In early
1985, there were about 500 vigilantes organized into
twenty-six
squads in Namibe, capital of Namibe Province. These
vigilante units
had just been credited with neutralizing a network of
"saboteurs"
who were stealing and selling large quantities of food and
housewares at high prices. Two years later, the Namibe
provincial
BPV was reported to have 11,885 men and women organized
into 6
municipal and 228 intermediary brigades. Among the ranks
were 305
MPLA-PT members, 266 members of the Organization of
Angolan Women
(Organização da Mulher Angolana--OMA), 401 members of the
JMPLA,
and 448 members of the National Union of Angolan Workers
(União
Nacional dos Trabalhadores Angolanos--UNTA). In Huambo
Province,
there were reportedly about 100,000 brigade members in
early 1986,
one-third of them women, and the authorities planned
continued
expansion to 300,000 by the end of that year.
As in the case of the armed forces, the Angolan
internal
security organs were subject to ideological and
institutional
controls. They were also heavily influenced by Soviet,
East German,
and Cuban state security doctrines, organizational
methods,
techniques, and practices. Advisers from these countries
were
posted throughout the security ministries, where their
presence,
access, and influence ironically became a security problem
for the
Angolan government. They reportedly penetrated the
internal
security apparatus so thoroughly and recruited so many
Angolan
security officials that President dos Santos removed
foreigners
from some sensitive areas and dismissed several Angolan
security
officers for "collaboration" with foreign elements. A
security
school, staffed entirely by Angolan personnel, also opened
in late
1987, thereby reducing the need and attendant risks of
sending
officers abroad for training.
Data as of February 1989
- Angola-Roots of Discontent
- Angola-Mestiços
- Angola-LABOR FORCE
- Angola-Food Crops and Livestock
- Angola-War and the Military in National Perspective
- Angola-Interest Groups
- Angola-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Angola-Foreign Trade
- Angola-Relations with Other African States
- Angola-Policies Affecting Rural Society
- Angola-The National Front for the Liberation of Angola
- Angola-Conditions after Independence
- Angola-FOREIGN TRADE AND ASSISTANCE
- Angola-Troop Strength, Recruitment, and Conscription
- Angola-Beginning of Revolution
- Angola-Military Campaigns
- Angola-BACKGROUND
- Angola-Mbundu Social Structure
- Angola-Conditions Before Independence EDUCATION
- Angola-The Development of FAPLA
- Angola-INDEPENDENCE AND THE RISE OF THE MPLA GOVERNMENT
- Angola-Ethnolinguistic Categories
- Angola-Portuguese Economic Interests and Resistance to Angolan Independence
- Angola-EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
- Angola-Postindependence Exploration and Production
- Angola-Internal Security Forces and Organization
- Angola-Indigenous Religious Systems
- Angola-Incidence and Trends in Crime
- Angola-Timber
- Angola-AGRICULTURE
- Angola-Central Committee
- Angola-Air and Air Defense Force
- Angola-Administration and Development
- Angola-Kongo Kingdom
- Angola-THE DOS SANTOS REGIME
- Angola-Marketing
- Angola-Matamba and Kasanje Kingdoms
- Angola-Traditional Elites
- Angola-Role of Women and Children
- Angola-ANGOLA
- Angola-The Early Nineteenth Century THE 1800s: TURMOIL IN PORTUGAL, REFORM AND EXPANSION IN ANGOLA
- Angola-Political Bureau
- Angola-Military Organization and Capability
- Angola-Drainage
- Angola-POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
- Angola-Shaba Invasion and the Nitista Plot
- Angola-Armed Forces Organization and Mission
- Angola-The Costs of Endemic Conflict WAR AND THE ROLE OF THE ARMED FORCES IN SOCIETY
- Angola-Heavy Industry
- Angola-Civic Action and Veterans' Groups
- Angola -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Angola
- Angola-The Demographic Situation SETTLEMENT, CONQUEST, AND DEVELOPMENT
- Angola-South African Intervention
- Angola-Defense and Security Council
- Angola-Slave Trading in the 1700s ANGOLA IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
- Angola-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Angola-Training
- Angola-STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY
- Angola-RISE OF AFRICAN NATIONALISM
- Angola-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Angola-The Defeat of Kongo and Ndongo
- Angola-Operations
- Angola-Policy Making FOREIGN RELATIONS
- Angola-ANGOLAN INSURGENCY
- Angola-Ascendancy of the MPLA
- Angola-National Union of Angolan Workers
- Angola-The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
- Angola-Ovambo, Nyaneka-Humbe, Herero, and Others
- Angola-Organizational Weaknesses
- Angola-Foreign Auxiliary Forces
- Angola-Railroads
- Angola-Regional Politics
- Angola-Transformation into a Marxist-Leninist Party and Internal Dissent
- Angola-External Support
- Angola-Constitutional and Political Context ARMED FORCES
- Angola-Antigovernment Opposition
- Angola-Strengthening Ties with the Soviet Union and Its Allies
- Angola-ECONOMY
- Angola-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Angola-Council of Ministers
- Angola-Christianity
- Angola-Religious Communities
- Angola-Social Structure in Rural Communities
- Angola-Chapter - 1 - Historical Setting
- Angola-Background EVOLUTION OF THE ARMED FORCES
- Angola-PREFACE
- Angola-Steps Toward a Stronger Party and Political Discord
- Angola-Effects of the Insurgency
- Angola-Other Minerals
- Angola-Prison System
- Angola-FAPLA's Combat Performance
- Angola-Collapse of the Transitional Government
- Angola-Foreign Assistance
- Angola-Human Rights
- Angola-POPULATION STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS
- Angola-The Constitution STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT
- Angola-INTERNAL SECURITY
- Angola-Emergence of UNITA
- Angola-Salazar's Racial Politics
- Angola-Criminal Justice System CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Angola-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Angola-Diamonds
- Angola-Communist Nations
- Angola-Independence Struggle, Civil War, and Intervention
- Angola-SOCIETY
- Angola-Angola as a Refuge
- Angola-Ground Forces
- Angola-Electric Power
- Angola-Ports
- Angola-Party Congress
- Angola-Light Industry
- Angola-Regional Organization
- Angola-Judicial System
- Angola-Navy
- Angola-Terrain
- Angola-STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Angola-ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT
- Angola
- Angola-Telecommunications
- Angola-Second Party Congress
- Angola-The Enduring Rival: UNITA
- Angola-Construction Materials
- Angola-Noncommunist Nations
- Angola-The Dutch Interregnum, 1641-48
- Angola-The Namibia Issue and Security Threats in the 1980s
- Angola-Roads TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Angola-Fishing
- Angola-Food Processing
- Angola-Nganguela
- Angola-Abolition of the Slave Trade
- Angola-United States and Western Europe
- Angola
- Angola
- Angola-Liberation Movements in Cabinda
- Angola-Local Administration
- Angola-INDUSTRY
- Angola-Ovimbundu
- Angola
- Angola-ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Angola-Regional Accord
- Angola-Angola under the New State ANGOLA UNDER THE SALAZAR REGIME
- Angola-Hunters, Gatherers, Herders, and Others
- Angola-Conditions of Service, Ranks, and Military Justice
- Angola-Effects of Socialist Policies
- Angola-Social Structure in Urban Areas
- Angola-Finances
- Angola-GEOGRAPHY
- Angola-Ovimbundu Social Structure
- Angola-Balance of Trade and Payments BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, FINANCES, AND FOREIGN DEBT
- Angola-Education in UNITA-Claimed Territory
- Angola-Foreword
- Angola-Mbundu
- Angola-Foreign Debt
- Angola-Mass Organizations MASS ORGANIZATIONS AND INTEREST GROUPS
- Angola-Ndongo Kingdom
- Angola-Oil
- Angola-ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES
- Angola-Executive Branch
- Angola-MASS MEDIA
- Angola-Foreign Intervention
- Angola-Legislative Branch
- Angola-RELIGIOUS LIFE
- Angola-PRECOLONIAL ANGOLA AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE PORTUGUESE
- Angola-Climate
- Angola-Lunda-Chokwe
- Angola-Air Transport
- Angola-Policies Affecting Urban Society
- Angola-Erstwhile Opposition: FLEC and the FNLA
- Angola-The Definition of Ethnicity
- Angola-Structure
- Angola
- Angola-Iron Ore
- Angola-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Angola-HEALTH AND WELFARE
- Angola-Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola-Youth Movement
- Angola-NATIONAL SECURITY ENVIRONMENT
- Angola-Portuguese Settlers in Angola
- Angola-Organization of Angolan Women
- Angola-Coffee
- Angola-Lunda and Chokwe Kingdoms
- Angola-Economic Problems and the Implementation of Socialist Policies
- Angola-BACKGROUND TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Angola-The Final Days of the Neto Regime
- Angola
- Angola-INTRODUCTION
- Angola
- Angola-Background POPULAR MOVEMENT FOR THE LIBERATION OF ANGOLA-WORKERS' PARTY
- Angola-PHYSICAL SETTING
- Angola-Ovimbundu and Kwanhama Kingdoms
- Angola-COALITION, THE TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT, AND CIVIL WAR
- Angola-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
Background | | Angola is rebuilding its country after 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 fighting picked up again by 1996. 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. President DOS SANTOS held legislative elections in September 2008 and, despite promising to hold presidential elections in 2009, has since made a presidential poll contingent on the drafting of a new constitution.
|
Location | | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 1,246,700 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 12 30 S, 18 30 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 5,198 km border countries: 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(km) | | 1,600 km
|
Climate | | semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m
|
Natural resources | | petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 2.65% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 97.12% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 800 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 184 cu km (1987)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%) per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)
|
Natural hazards | | locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
|
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
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
Geography - note | | the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
Population | | 12,799,293 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 43.5% (male 2,812,359/female 2,759,047) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 3,496,726/female 3,382,440) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 153,678/female 195,043) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 18 years male: 18 years female: 18 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 2.095% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 43.69 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 24.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 1.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 57% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 180.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 192.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 167.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 38.2 years male: 37.24 years female: 39.22 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 6.12 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Angolan(s) adjective: Angolan
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | 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% (1998 est.)
|
Languages(%) | | Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages
|
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; multiparty presidential regime
|
Capital | | name: Luanda geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 14 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|
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
|
Constitution | | adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992
|
Legal system | | based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
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); Antonio Paulo KASSOMA was named prime minister by MPLA on 26 September 2008 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS was selected by the party to take over after the death of former President Augustino NETO(1979) under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next were to be held in September 2009 but have been postponed) election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was never held leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the president
|
Legislative branch | | unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5-6 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 81.6%, UNITA 10.4%, PRS 3.2%, ND 1.2%, FNLA 1.1%, other 2.5%; seats by party - MPLA 191, UNITA 16, PRS 8, FNLA 3, ND 2
|
Judicial branch | | Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed by the president)
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE] note: FLEC's small-scale armed struggle for the independence of Cabinda Province persists despite the signing of a peace accord with the government in August 2006
|
International organization participation | | ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPEC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
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); red represents liberty, black the African continent, the symbols characterize workers and peasants
|
Economy - overview | | Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, which has taken advantage of high international oil prices. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Increased oil production supported growth averaging more than 15% per year from 2004 to 2007. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the people, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit, since increased to $7 billion, from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure, and several large-scale projects were completed in 2006. Angola also has large credit lines from Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas out of circulation. This policy became more sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings; it has significantly reduced inflation. Although consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to under 13% in 2008, the stabilization policy has put pressure on international net liquidity. Angola became a member of OPEC in late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day, somewhat less than the 2-2.5 million bbl Angola's government had wanted. To fully take advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to implement government reforms, increase transparency, and reduce corruption. The government has rejected a formal IMF monitored program, although it continues Article IV consultations and ad hoc cooperation. Corruption, especially in the extractive sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $112.8 billion (2008 est.) $100.5 billion (2007 est.) $82.94 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $84.95 billion (2008 est.)
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 12.3% (2008 est.) 21.1% (2007 est.) 18.6% (2006 est.)
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $9,000 (2008 est.) $8,200 (2007 est.) $6,900 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 9.2% industry: 65.8% services: 24.6% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 7.569 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 85% industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | NA
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 40.5% (2006 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 9% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $28.99 billion expenditures: $21.44 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 12.5% (2008 est.) 12.2% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $8.446 billion (31 December 2008) $4.153 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $10.41 billion (31 December 2008) $7.216 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $7.893 billion (31 December 2008) $1.166 billion (31 December 2007)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $441.8 million (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 15.5% of GDP (2008 est.) 12% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish
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Industries | | petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship repair
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 14.3% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $17.11 billion (2008 est.) $9.402 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $66.3 billion (2008 est.) $44.4 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton
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Exports - partners(%) | | China 33%, US 28.7%, France 6%, South Africa 4.6%, Canada 4.1% (2008)
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Imports | | $17.08 billion (2008 est.) $13.66 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods
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Imports - partners(%) | | Portugal 17.6%, China 15.7%, US 11.3%, Brazil 7.6%, South Korea 6.8%, South Africa 4.8% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $18.36 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $11.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $14.09 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $8.357 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $16.36 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $14.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $2.477 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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Exchange rates | | kwanza (AOA) per US dollar - 75.023 (2008 est.), 76.6 (2007), 80.4 (2006), 88.6 (2005), 83.541 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | kwanza (AOA)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 114,300 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 6.773 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: system inadequate; fewer than one fixed-line per 100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density exceeded 50 telephones per 100 persons in 2008 domestic: state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until 2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and services poor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the first private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network; Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993 and the network has been extended to larger towns; a privately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operations in 2001 international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2008)
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Internet country code | | .ao
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Internet users | | 550,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 192 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 2 km; oil 87 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 51,429 km paved: 5,349 km unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)
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Ports and terminals | | Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Namibe
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Military branches | | Angolan Armed Forces (FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra Angola, MGA), Angolan National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional Angolana, FANA) (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 22-24 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; Angolan citizenship required (2009)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 2,856,492 females age 16-49: 2,755,864 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,467,833 females age 16-49: 1,411,468 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 146,738 female: 143,478 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.7% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | Cabindan separatists continue to return to the Angolan exclave from exile in neighboring states and Europe since the 2006 ceasefire and peace agreement
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 12,615 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 61,700 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 3.722 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 36.4% hydro: 63.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 3.173 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 2.015 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 64,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 1.407 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 28,090 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 9.04 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 680 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 680 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 269.8 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 2.1% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 190,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 11,000 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.4% male: 82.9% female: 54.2% (2001 est.)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2.4% of GDP (2005)
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