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Angola Facts & Worksheets

Angola, formally the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa.

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Angola, formally the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa, bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, in which the capital and largest city is Luanda.

See the fact file below for more information on the Angola or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Angola worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

INTRODUCTION

  • Angola was a former Portuguese colony but gained self-rule in 1975.
  • After times of civil war, Angola is gradually emerging as a major economic powerhouse in Africa and has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
  • Angola has an exclave province, the province of Cabinda with an area of 2,812 square miles that borders the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ETYMOLOGY

  • Angola acquired its name from a Portuguese colonial named Reino de Angola (Kingdom of Angola) in the ancient Kingdom of Ndongo, whose kings carried the title of “ngola” at the time of the Portuguese colonization in the 15th century AD.

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • On March 23, 2016, valid data revealed by Angola’s National Statistic Institute – Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE) declared that Angola had a population of 25,789,024 inhabitants.
  • Angola was host to 12,100 refugees and 2,900 asylum seekers by the end of 2007.
  • 11,400 of those refugees originally came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and arrived in the 1970s.
  • As of 2008, there were an estimated 400,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo migrant workers, at least 220,000 Portuguese, and about 259,000 Chinese residing in Angola.
  • One million Angolans are mixed race (black and white).

GEOGRAPHY

  • Angola is more than three times the area of California.
  • It extends for more than 1,000 mi (1,609 km) along the South Atlantic in southwest Africa.
  • Luanda, Angola’s capital, lies on the Atlantic coast in the northwest of the country.
  • With a size of 1,246,620 km2 (481,321 sq mi), Angola is the world’s twenty-third largest country, comparable in size to Mali, or twice the size of France or Texas.

CLIMATE

  • Like the rest of tropical Africa, Angola’s climate features two seasons: rainfall from November to April, and drought, known as Cacimbo, from May to October, drier, as the name implies, and with lower temperatures.
  • The coastal strip is tempered by the cool Benguela Current, which gives a climate similar to coastal Peru or Baja California.

ECONOMY

  • Angola faces the daunting tasks of rebuilding its infrastructure, retrieving weapons from its heavily-armed civilians, and resettling tens of thousands of refugees who fled the fighting.
  • Angola supplies crude oil to the US and China and is involved in oil export activities and foreign loans, which have spurred economic growth and fueled a reconstruction boom.
  • Angola has a rich subsoil inheritance, from diamonds, oil, gold, and copper, as well as rich wildlife, forest, and fossils.
  • Since the day of their independence, oil and diamonds have been the most important economic resource.
  • The Economist reported in 2008 that diamonds and oil make up to 60 percent of Angola’s economy, most of the country’s revenue, and are its dominant exports.
  • Angola’s economy has undergone a period of transformation in recent years, moving from the disarray caused by a quarter-century of civil war up to being the fastest-growing economy in Africa and one of the fastest in the world, with average GDP growth of 20 percent between 2005 and 2007.
  • From 2001-2010, Angola had the world’s highest annual average GDP growth, at 11.1 percent.
  • In 2004, China’s Eximbank authorized a $2 billion line of credit to Angola.
  • The loan is being used to restore Angola’s infrastructure and has also restricted the influence of the International Monetary Fund in the country.
  • Before independence in 1975, Angola was a major exporter of bananas, coffee, and sisal, but three decades of civil war (1975-2002) devastated the fertile countryside, leaving it littered with landmines and driving millions into the cities.
  • Now, the country depends on expensive food imports, mainly from South Africa and Portugal, while more than 90 percent of farming is done at the family and subsistence level.

GOVERNMENT

  • The government of Angola is composed of three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
  • After thirty-eight years of rule, in 2017 President dos Santos stepped down from MPLA leadership.
  • The MPLA chose the former Defense Minister João Lourenço as Santos’ successor.

HISTORY

  • The Portuguese first arrived in Angola way back in 1483 but at first, they showed little interest in the area.
  • The first Portuguese colony in Angola was not founded until 1575.
  • Angola, in the 17th century and 18th century, was a source of slaves for the Portuguese.
  • Many were transported to Brazil but this was abolished in 1836.
  • In the 19th century, Portugal had little authority over inland Angola.
  • However, in 1885 the European states divided up Africa between them and Portugal was forced to make good its claim to Angola where they established effective control over the inland areas. Until 1920, the Portuguese were in complete control of Angola.
  • The Portuguese applied forced labor on plantations. But in 1961, there was a rebellion that resulted in abolishing forced labor. Many groups in Angola began a guerilla war against the Portuguese but also fought each other. Angola eventually freed up after a coup took place in Portugal in 1974.
  • Angola turned to be independent on November 11, 1975 but civil war continued.
  • Fighting continued until 1991. In the same year, a ceasefire was arranged but it broke down in 1992 and the civil war resumed.
  • A second ceasefire happened in 1994 although it broke down in 1998.
  • The long civil war totally ended with a ceasefire in 2002 but left Angola devastated.
  • Gradually the country was rebuilt. Angola was helped by its exports of oil.
  • The latest constitution was introduced in Angola in 2010.
  • Nowadays, Angola is still a poor country and is greatly dependent on exports of oil.
  • However, the economy is growing steadily. There is still reason to be optimistic about the future of Angola.
  • The current population of Angola is about 32 million.

Angola Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Angola across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Angola worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Angola, formally the Republic of Angola, which is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa, bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, in which the capital and largest city is Luanda.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Angola Facts
  • Additional Facts
  • Map of Angola
  • Exclave Province
  • Box Fill
  • Angola’s Demographics
  • Subsoil Inheritance
  • Economic Essay
  • Outlining Events
  • Dividing States
  • Diamond Countries

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Link will appear as Angola Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 27, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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