INFO PROVIDED BY : ISABEL REIS
SPOTLIGHT ON MIDDLE AFRICA
A N G O L A : A L A N D O F C O N T R A S T S -
Angola , with over 25 million inhabitants , is a micro-reflection of the African continent in which she sits – a melting pot of peoples with numerous languages and cultures all blended into one country .
Angola is located in the south and west of Africa , within what the UN categorizes as ‘ Middle Africa ’; it has coastline on its western side and is bordered to the south by Namibia to the east by Zambia and to the northeast and north by The Democratic Republic of Congo .
Its capital and largest city is Luanda although it is to be noted that Luanda is not the only expatriate destination N ’ dalatando , and Huambo , the next largest cities , also are of growing interest to Multinational investors , a major pull being that they offer a considerably lower cost of living compared to the notoriously high costs encountered in Luanda . Angola has a varied terrain that encompasses tropical Atlantic beaches and a labyrinthine system of rivers as well as the vast expanse of Sub-Saharan desert that extends across the border into the neighboring country of Namibia .
The official language is Portuguese with French , Spanish and English often spoken in the oil industry , but there are also some 50 local languages that are also widely spoken , including Kikongo , Kimbundo , Tchokwe , Umbundo , Mbunda and Kwanyama .
Angola was ravaged by civil war from 1975 to 2002 and recovery is still ongoing .
RICHES BENEATH THE SURFACE
Major exports of Angola focus on the Petrol / Oil and Mining Industries with crude oil , petroleum products , gas and diamonds being the top items for export . Other exports include coffee , sisal , fish and fish products , timber and cotton . Angolas rich reserve of mineral resources has lead to her becoming a focus of Multinational investment over the past decade although the fall out from the slump in oil prices has naturally been felt here as well as in numerous other countries within Africa and worldwide . Petroleum , diamonds , iron ore , phosphates , copper , feldspar , gold , bauxite , and uranium all continue to be mined in Angola , her hidden riches continuing to lure investors from all over the globe !