Angola Map

Description: This map shows governmental boundaries of countries; provinces, province capital cities, major cities and towns and in Angola.

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (Portuguese: República de Angola), is a country on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. It borders Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and east, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The exclave province of Cabinda borders the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Angola covers about 1,246,700 square kilometres, which makes it the second-largest Portuguese-speaking country by area after Brazil. Its capital and largest city is Luanda.

Before European contact, the territory was home to several states, including the Kingdom of Kongo in the north and the Kingdom of Ndongo. The Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reached the region in the 1480s. In 1576, Paulo Dias de Novais founded Luanda, which became the centre of Portuguese colonial activity. For centuries the colony was a major source of enslaved people for the Atlantic slave trade, mostly bound for Brazil. Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba resisted Portuguese expansion during the 17th century. Portugal did not establish full control over the interior until the early 20th century.

An armed struggle for independence began in 1961 and involved three main movements: the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). After the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974, Angola became independent on 11 November 1975, with Agostinho Neto of the MPLA as its first president.

Independence was followed by a civil war that lasted, with interruptions, until 2002. The conflict drew in foreign powers, including Cuba, the Soviet Union, South Africa and the United States. It ended after UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed in February 2002, and a ceasefire was signed in April of that year.

Angola is a presidential republic. Under the 2010 constitution, the president is both head of state and head of government. The president is not elected separately but is the leading candidate of the party that wins the most votes in elections to the National Assembly, a unicameral legislature with 220 seats. José Eduardo dos Santos was president from 1979 to 2017. He was succeeded by João Lourenço. The MPLA has governed the country since independence.

The country has a narrow coastal plain that rises to a broad interior plateau. Its highest point is Morro do Moco, at about 2,620 metres. Major rivers include the Cuanza, the Cunene and the Cuango. The southwest is part of the Namib Desert, while the north has tropical forest.

Angola's economy relies heavily on petroleum, which accounts for most of its export earnings. The country is one of the largest oil producers in sub-Saharan Africa, and much of its output comes from offshore fields, including those off Cabinda. Diamonds are another important export. Angola joined OPEC in 2007 and left the organisation at the start of 2024. The national currency is the kwanza. Despite its natural resources, a large share of the population lives in poverty, and economic growth has depended closely on world oil prices.

Portuguese is the official language. Many Bantu languages are also spoken, the most widespread being Umbundu, Kimbundu and Kikongo. The largest ethnic groups are the Ovimbundu, the Ambundu and the Bakongo. Most Angolans are Christian, and the Roman Catholic Church is the largest denomination.

Angola is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.