| INFORMATION ABOUT
ANGOLA
GENERAL INFORMATION
Official name of the country: Republic of
Angola
President: Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos
Vice President: Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos
President of the National Assembly: Antînio Paulo Kassoma
Governmental system: Presidential Parliamentary
Governmental bodies:
President of the Republic
Vice President
National Assembly
Courts
Party in power: MPLA
Main oppositional party: UNITA
Political and administrative division of the country:
18 provinces with 163 municipalities.
Ethnic origin of the nation: mainly Bantu peoples
Political origin of the country: Portugal’s
colony (for 500 years).
Date of declaration of independence: 11 November
1975, after 14 years of armed national liberation struggle.
First government: MPLA.
First President: Agostinho
Antonio Neto (1975-1979)
First arrival of the Portuguese: 1482 (Diogo
Cao)
Foundation of the first town (Luanda): 25 January 1575
Formation of the MPLA: 1956
Beginning of the armed struggle: 1961
Day of National Independence: 11 November 1975
Death of Agostinho
Antonio Neto: September 10, 1979
Presidential inauguration of Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos: September 21, 1979
Signing of the New York Agreement: September
22, 1988
Signing of the Gbadolite Agreement: June 22,
1989
Signing of the «Protocol of Bessassi»: May
31, 1991
First national elections: September 29-30,
1992
Signing of the «Protocol of Lusaka»: November
20, 1994
Assumption of office by the Unity and National Reconciliation
Government: April 11, 1997
Signing of the Memorandum on mutual understanding (Peace
Agreement), as a supplement to the Protocol of Lusaka:
April 4, 2002
GEOGRAFICAL CONDITIONS
Land surface area: 1 246 700
km2. 60% of the land’s territory is occupied by an inland plateau
with an altitude of 1 000 meters to 2 000 meters above sea level,
the plateau having a vast network of rivers and lakes.
Climate: tropical, with two seasons - Cassimbo
(dry winter season) that lasts from May to September, and a
rainy season (summer) lasting from September to May.
Average annual air temperature: 27î C (maximum)
and 17î C (minimum).
Geographic location: southwestern coast of
Africa.
The country borders in the west on the Atlantic
Ocean; in the north on the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville)
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa); in the
east on the Republic of Zambia and in the south on the Republic
of Namibia.
Length of borders: on the sea – 1 600 km; on
land – 4 837 km.
Population: 12 000 000 (49.3% are male citizens,
and 50.7% are female).
Capital city: Luanda - 3 000 000 inhabitants
(their average age is 19 years).
Other major towns: Cabinda, Benguela, Lobito,
Lubango, Namibe.
Main rivers: Cuanza, Cunene and Cubango.
Highest terrain point: Mount Moco (Serra do
Moco) (2 620 ì) in the Huambo province.
Official language: Portuguese.
Main local languages: Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo
and Chokwe.
Religions: Catholic (51%); Protestant (17%);
Traditional Animistic Religion (30%); other religions (2%)
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The territory of the country was inhabited
even in pre-historical times, which can be scientifically confirmed
by archaeological finds discovered in Lunda, the Congo and Namib
Desert. The first people who appeared here were bushmen, skillful
pygmy hunters with light-brown skin. Early in the 6th century
B. C. some peoples that had reached a higher stage in their
development and were using technological achievements of the
Iron Age, started one of the greatest migrations in human history.
They were Bantu people from the north, probably from the area
that is now called The Republic of Cameroon. When the Bantu
reached Angola, they met the bushmen, and other ethnic groups
that were even more primitive, and acquainted them with the
Bantu technologies in the field of metallurgy, production of
ceramics and agriculture.
Historically, the first sociopolitical entity that appeared
on this territory came to be known as The Congo Kingdom. It
was formed in the 13th century and extended from Gabon in the
north to the Cuanza River in the south; from the Atlantic Ocean
in the west to the Cuango River in the east. The basis of the
country's economy was formed by its agriculture. The power was
in the hands of the local aristocrats – mani – who occupied
the key administrative posts and were subordinate only to the
king of the Congo. The Kingdom was subdivided into territorial
units called m’banza, and each such unit was controlled by a
mani. The capital city was M’banza Congo, with a population
of over 50 thousand people.
In the 16th century the Congo Kingdom consisted of six provinces.
It also included a number of other kingdoms formed on a tribal
basis, and among these was the Ndongo Kingdom in its southern
part. The main line of activities of the Congo Kingdom was trade
based on highly developed agriculture and intensive mining for
extracting natural resources. In 1482 Portuguese caravels commanded
by Diogo Cao reached the estuary of the Congo River, named also
Nzadi.
The Portuguese had firearms and they confessed in a religion
that was attractive for the natives; on the other hand, the
Congo Kingdom could offer Portugal some slaves, ivory and mineral
resources.
The Portuguese colony named Angola was established in 1575 upon
arrival of Paulo Dias de Novais accompanied by 100 settler families
and 400 soldiers. Luanda became a town in 1605. The country
traded with Brazil. The situation was paradoxical - while being
officially a Portuguese colony, Angola was virtually a Brazilian
colony.
In the south of the Congo Kingdom, in the basin of the Cuanza
River, there were a number of powerful states. The main of these
states was the Ndongo Kingdom ruled by the king Ngola. Ngola
Kiluange was reigning when the first Portuguese landed on the
coast of the country. The king pursued a policy of alliance
with the neighboring states. Several years after his reign Ndongo
managed to revive due to the fact that the power in the country
was taken by Ginga Mbandi, who came to be widely known in world
history as Queen Ginga.
She pursued an ingenious policy and managed to contain the Portuguese
through signing with them a number of aptly worded agreements.
In 1635 she established a powerful coalition together with such
states as Matamba, Ndongo, Congo, Kassanje, Dembos and Kissamas.
While leading that strong coalition, Ginga threw back the Portuguese
away from her lands.
In the meanwhile Portugal was occupied by Spain, and the Dutch
used the situation to seize Luanda in 1641. But Ginga turned
the Dutch into her allies, thus strengthening the coalition
considerably and ousting the Portuguese forces back to their
stronghold in Massangano, which the Portuguese were defending
stubbornly and used the place as a base to periodically send
out raid parties for conducting «Kuata-Kuata» warfare (for capturing
slaves). Angolan slaves became the main factor of development
of the Brazilian colony, because in spite of prohibition of
slave trade, the Portuguese continued sending slaves secretly
from Angola to Brazil.
In 1648, a strong naval squadron with many ships came from Brazil.
That military expedition commanded by Salvador Correia de Sa
i Benevides, seized Luanda again and ensured the start of massive
returns of the Portuguese. Correia de Sa dealt a shattering
and powerful blow at the forces of the natives. Since then the
coalition started to decline. Ginga died in 1663. Two years
later the king of the Congo made desperate attempts to retain
his sovereignty over the lands around the bay of Luanda - Ilha
de Luanda - occupied and defended by forces of Correia de Sa,
but the king suffered a defeat, which later led to his kingdom's
losing independence. The Ndongo Kingdom was taken over by the
Portuguese Crown in 1771.
The old philosophy of war gave gradually way to the new philosophy
of trade. The tremendous upgrowth of commerce and availability
of appropriate agreements contributed to such changes in relations
between the parties. The former militant and conflicting countries
began turning into states oriented towards production and exchange
of goods.
Beginning from 1764, the former slaveholding society started
turning into a nation that was oriented towards producing consumer
goods. In 1850 Luanda was already a big city with numerous commercial
firms. Together with Benguela it exported palm oil and peanuts,
wax, copal (tree resin), wood, ivory, cotton, coffee, cocoa
beans and other foodstuffs. Here the local people started to
produce maize, tobacco, dried meat and cassava flour.
Angolan bourgeoisie began to appear and develop. In 1836 slave
trade was abolished, and in 1844 Angolan ports were opened for
visits by foreign sea vessels.
In the area of the central plateau (Planalto) there appeared
the states Bie and Bailundo, and the latter became widely known
as a big producer of foodstuffs and wood resin.
The constantly strengthening colonial authorities that were
becoming richer and richer, could not put up with the successful
development of these states and established a complete control
over these territories by the beginning of the 20th century.
After the Berlin Conference, Portugal had to start the territorial
development of its colonies immediately.
The trade in wood resin and ivory, together with taxes collected
from the local population, enriched the parent country – Portugal
– to a great extent.
Early in the 20th century, the Portuguese policy in Angola underwent
certain changes in connection with the new reforms. The termination
of monarchy in Portugal and favourable international economic
situation contributed to accomplishment of reforms in the administrative,
agricultural and educational spheres. The parent country extended
its legislation over the colony, and Angola became just one
of provinces of Portugal (the Overseas Province). The situation
in Angola seemed quiet, but only on the surface. In the second
quarter of the 20th century, this quiet stability was violated
as a result of appearance of the first nationalist movements.
Formation of more mature political organizations started in
the 1950s. The new political forces declared their rights already
in a clear and organized manner. They conducted diplomatic campaigns
all over the world in pursuing the goal of national independence.
But the colonial authorities did not yield to the demands and
suggestions of the nationalist forces, and this led to direct
armed conflicts. On February 4, 1961 the Angolan people led
by the MPLA started their armed struggle for national independence.
The beginning of that struggle was marked with storming a prison
in Luanda for liberating the political prisoners who struggled
for the national independence. Besides the MPLA (Popular Movement
for the Liberation of Angola) founded in 1956, the other participants
of the national liberation struggle were the FNLA (the National
Front for the Liberation of Angola), which was formed in 1961,
and UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola) established in 1966. After 14 years of the armed struggle,
the country gained independence on November 11, 1975.
ANGOLA TODAY
It is really hard to explain how it could have
happened that in this potentially richest African territory
provided with petroleum, diamonds, minerals of strategic importance,
precious types of wood, fish, fruitful lands with tropical and
moderate climate, water resources and much more, almost 70%
of the population still live below the poverty line, while earning
such incomes that cannot even ensure their physical survival.
At present Angola has managed to achieve what can be called
its most important accomplishment – the country has been able
to uphold its independence and territorial integrity, to lay
down the foundations of a democratic state, and to ensure the
unity of Angolan people in solving the problem of creating a
united national state, despite all acts of aggression and all
actions aimed at destabilizing the country's internal situation
for the last 25 years.
The simultaneous and joint invasion of two foreign armies -
from Zaire in the north, and from South Africa in the south
in 1975, then the occupation of a part of Angola by troops sent
by Pretoria in the 1980s, and the latest destabilizing activities
of armed detachments of the UNITA party led by Jonas Malheiro
Savimbi, supported by the South African racist regime and the
US administration – all these attempts have failed to overcome
the Angolan people’s resistance.
At the same time, the Angolan leadership has rendered continuous
assistance to Zimbabwean patriots who achieved their goal of
national independence in 1980, to Namibian fighters for national
independence gained by them only in 1990, and to the South-African
resistance movement that struggled against the apartheid policy
for racial integration and for making the South-African regime
really democratic.
The so-called “Great Lakes Conflict” has also proved that Angola's
policy can become a decisive stabilizing factor for the whole
Central Africa and South Africa.
Today, after Jonas Savimbi's death (February 22, 2002) and subsequent
signing of the Memorandum of Mutual Understanding between Angolan
Armed Forces (FAA) and UNITA's armed units (as a supplement
to the Peace Protocol of Lusaka), in connection with the initiation
of a new governmental economic policy that has been supported
by powerful international finance organizations, after the Angolan
parliament’s approval of the fundamental principles of revision
of the Constitutional Law (legislative formulation of a semi-presidential
democratic regime and of a transition to an open market economy),
as well as in connection with the declaration about the possibility
of new elections already in 2004-2005, Angola has managed to
go over to a new phase of development, that the country’s President
has characterized as “a phase of achievement of peace, consolidation
of democracy, stabilization of national economy and return of
national dignity and hope to all Angolans”.
POLICY
Now that peace has come to Angola, the state
power institutions are functioning in a normal manner solving
the urgent problem of modernizing the whole country for providing
a more efficient employment of the country's resources.
CONSTITUTION
The Constitution (Constitutional Law) declared
in 1975, was later changed several times. For the first time,
the Constitutional Law was revised in 1991 during preparations
for the elections of 1992. The next series of amendments to
the Constitution were introduced in 1994, after the conclusion
of Lusaka Agreements. The main purpose of the amendments has
always been establishing democracy in Angola and guaranteeing
the recognition of individual rights and freedoms, as well as
basic principles of market economy.
The main state power institutions, independent of each other,
are now engaged in discussing and developing the text of a new
Constitution. This discussion is centered on the Parliament
and spreads more and more affecting a still greater number of
social strata and sectors as they declare that they also belong
to the “society of citizens”. The ongoing discussion embraces
not only a new draft of the Constitution but also a whole series
of amendments that should be made to the laws now in force,
for example, “The Law about the Press”, and involved in this
discussion are many various public organizations.
PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC
The Constitution establishes a semi-presidential
state power system in Angola. The President of the Republic
heads all state power bodies, he is responsible for defense
of the country and for coordination of relations between various
branches of government. The President is elected by general
and direct ballot for a period of five years, with a right to
be reelected for a second term of office.
The President of the Republic is also Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces. He appoints ministers and judges of the Supreme
Court. Besides other powers, he has the right to veto laws that
may endanger security of the state or its international interests.
POLITICAL
LIFE
In 1991, Angola entered a development stage
that corresponds to its aspiration for acquiring a status of
a big, modern and democratic African country with market economy.
ELECTIONS
OF 1992
On the 29th and 30th of September 1992, 91%
of the five million registered voters cast their ballots during
the first free and democratic elections in Angolan history.
In the first round of the elections, Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos collected 49.57% of all the votes,
while his main rival Jonas Savimbi polled only 40.07% of the
votes. The third “historical” candidate – Holden Roberto – failed
to get more than 2.11% of the votes. Then the UNITA refused
to recognize the choice made by the voters and resorted to armed
struggle, without even waiting for the second round of the elections,
with the participation of Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos and Jonas Savimbi. At that time
Angola was already on its way towards peaceful life and national
reconciliation, but the decision taken by the UNITA brought
the country back into the state of civil war. The military success
that the Governmental Armed Forces achieved in 1998 when they
liberated several areas earlier controlled by the rebels, made
it possible to organize and hold new elections in 2001.
POLITICAL
FORCES
Out of the seventeen parties participating
in the parliamentary elections of 1992, twelve got at least
one seat and were thus represented at the National Assembly.
MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) received
53.74% of the votes and 129 out of 220 seats in the Parliament.
UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola)
got 34.1% of the votes and seventy parliamentary seats as a
result of the parliamentary elections of 1992. That party is
represented by four ministers and ten deputy ministers in the
Government of Unity and National Reconciliation (GUNR).
PRS (Party of Socialist Renewal) got six mandates and 2.27%
of all votes. In the GUNR this party is represented by one minister
and two deputy ministers.
FNLA (the National Front for the Liberation of Angola) has five
mandates in the National Assembly and obtained 2.4% of the votes
at the parliamentary elections. However, in 1998 the FNLA left
the Government of Unity and National Reconciliation.
PLD (Liberal-Democratic Party) got three parliamentary mandates
and 2.39% of the votes.
FDA (Angolan Democratic Forum) founded in 1992 by dissidents
from UNITA, received one governmental position in 1992 and now
has got one deputy at the Assembly.
Six other parties have one seat each at the National Assembly:
PRD (Party of Democratic Renewal).
AAD-SOA (Coalition – Democratic Alliance).
PSD (Social-Democratic Party).
PAJOCA (Party of Alliance of the Youth, Workers and Peasants
of Angola).
PDP-ANA (Democratic Party for Progress – National Alliance of
Angola).
PNDA (National Democratic Angolan Party).
EXECUTIVE
POWER BODIES
In accordance with the current Constitution's
provisions concerning the executive branch of power, the President
of the Republic shall appoint a Prime Minister for exercising
part of his own presidential authority. Before appointing the
Prime Minister the President shall consult with the political
parties represented at the National Assembly and find out their
opinions. The Prime Minister shall form a Government that bears
political responsibility before the President and the National
Assembly.
The President of the Republic shall preside at the meetings
of the Council of Ministers and the Council of the Republic,
the latter being his advisory body.
The Prime Minister shall control and lead the work of the Government,
coordinate and direct the activities of all ministers and state
secretaries, represent the Government during sessions of the
National Assembly, both inside and outside the country.
The Government of Unity and National Reconciliation, as is clear
from its very name, consists of representatives of widely varying
political formations. All ministers have equal rights, irrespective
of the party they belong to, and they have direct access to
information on all issues and problems, and the ministers' opinions
shall be listened to and taken into account on all issues relating
to the competence of the ministries that they head.
LEGISLATIVE
POWER BODIES
The system of legislative power in the country
is based on activities of one Chamber. The National Assembly
consists of two hundred and twenty deputies elected for a term
of four years. Out of the two hundred and twenty parliamentary
seats, one hundred and thirty seats are occupied according to
results of the nationwide proportional representation, while
the other ninety seats are distributed according to results
of representation based on majority at the provincial level.
The Assembly gathers for sessions twice a year. It may also
be convened for an extraordinary session at the request of the
President of the Assembly or on the initiative of one third
of its members. Discussions in the Parliament proceed openly
and sincerely; the opposition frankly raises issues of controlling
the country and directly and without prejudice participates
in debates concerning basic matters of social life.
The meetings of the Assembly are public and are widely commented
in state-owned and private mass media. Due to economic considerations,
the parliamentary debates are no longer transmitted directly
through television, but this topic occupies a considerable part
of on-air time in various news and informational programs on
TV. The Parliament is open to all kinds of initiatives coming
from the civil society and from various oppositional parties
that conduct their activities in a widely varying parliamentary
form.
JUDICIAL
POWER BODIES
The Supreme Court located in Luanda is the
summit of all judicial system consisting of criminal, civil
law and military law courts. The Constitution guarantees independence
of the judicial power bodies.
The Supreme Court also functions in a normal manner, while keeping
its work at a distance from the activities of political authorities.
Until now, the Supreme Court's decisions have never caused public
disputes and polemics deserving special attention. Recently
the social environment around the judges’ activities was improved,
the judicial system got a higher status, and the judges’ salaries
were raised. These decisions were unanimously supported by the
population and all state power institutions.
The judicial system is experiencing difficulties brought about
by an excessive concentration of population in Luanda province,
which both intensifies the crime growth rate and leads to increase
in the number of criminally persecuted people. As a result,
the jails are constantly overcrowded, and the courts fail to
cope with the huge amount of work. In spite of all this, the
courts do their best to alleviate the situation caused by the
above conditions, while the Government is considering possibilities
to improve the functioning and conditions of some jails in Luanda
province through transferring a part of prisoners from Luanda
to provincial penitentiary institutions.
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
The country is subdivided into eighteen provinces.
Each province is controlled by a specially appointed governor
who reports to the President and the Council of Ministers. The
provinces themselves are subdivided into municipalities consisting
of communes.
ARMED FORCES
AND THE POLICE
The Armed Forces serve the purpose of securing
the national independence, territorial integrity, freedom and
protection of the population from possible aggressions or an
external threat, within the framework of the appropriate legal
norms and provisions of the international law.
The national police are taking steps aimed at providing normal
conditions for the life of the population, and at the same time
the police are playing a basic role in maintaining law and order
and peace.
ECONOMIC
INFORMATION
Official currency unit: kwanza Kz.
Commercial currency unit: US Dollar.
Average population density: 9.6 persons per km2.
Rate of population increase: 2.9% annually.
Average life duration: 45 years for men; 48 years for women.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) (1997) – 2 854 651 billion new
kwanza.
GDP (1997): 2 854 651 billion Kz
Annual GDP growth rate – 9.5%.
The Trade Deficit-to-GDP ratio – 8.9%.
The National Debt-to-GDP ratio – 18%.
Annual inflation rate: on the average - 107% (in 2002).
Employment distribution pattern: primary economic sector (extraction,
mining, harvesting): 68.5%; secondary economic sector (processing):
4.5%; tertiary economic sector (commerce): 26.8%.
Principal export commodities: petroleum, diamonds, various minerals,
timber, fish, coffee, cotton and sisal agave.
Principal import commodities: foodstuffs, beverages, vegetables,
electric appliances and automobiles.
Main foreign trade partners: USA, Belgium, Portugal, Germany,
France, Spain, Brazil and South Africa.
Main seaports: Luanda, Lobito and Namibe.
PRACTICAL
INFORMATION
Tourist attractions: fine climate, beaches,
rivers, waterfalls, hunting, fishing, national cuisine, folk
dances and music.
National cuisine: fish and seafood of extremely high quality;
wide variety of culinary products on the basis of a mixture
of African and Portuguese traditions.
International telephone area code for Angola: 244
International telephone area code for Luanda: 244 2
Cellular communications service: 244 9
System of measures and weights: metrical.
Electric power mains: 220 V AC 50 cycles.
Office and working hours: governmental institutions – 8:00-15:00;
shops– 8:30-12:00/15:00-19:00; banks – 8:30-11:30/14:00-15:30
(from Monday to Friday).
Motor traffic on roads: right-hand traffic.
Necessary vaccination: against yellow fever, tetanus, cholera
and measles.
Formal entry requirements: passport with a stamped entry visa
endorsement for all foreign citizens who are not Angolan residents.
Official national holidays: 1 and 4 January, 4 February, 8 March,
4 April, 1 May, 25 May, 1 June, 17 September, 2 and 11 November
and 25 December.
INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCES AND FAIRS
LAWS
The charter of international business-fair "FILDA"
in Luanda, in russian (Word format, 160 Kb)
Law
on the bases for private investment (Word format,
130 Kb)
Documents for international business-fair "FILDA",
in russian (Word format, 100 Kb)
Embassy of Republic of Angola, 2003-2009
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