Angola: A Country That Rose From The Ashes I.

Angola is situated on 1,2 million square kilometres in the south central Africa, where the southern borders on Namibia, north of Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia on the east. West part of country surround by the Atlantic Ocean. Angola with 8 million citizens has six official languages due to many ethnic groups - Kikongo, Chokwe, Umbundu, Kimbundu, Ganguela, Kwanyama).

Angola is a republic in which power is concentrated in the president which serves governors of 18 provinces (Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Malanje, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire). The legal system is based on Portugese and customary low, but it is weak. The courts are active in only 12 from more than 140 municipal areas.

Country in presents got a new constitution, which involved the authoritarian regime. Division of powers in practice it is not so valid, because power has president, who is currently José Eduardo dos Santos.

A quarter century of civil war in Angola, deposed the country from the position of the food primacy. After of economic stagnation Angola became one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an average GDP growth of 20 % per year (2005 – 2007).

The economy is made up of 60 % of trade in diamonds and oil (exports around 2 million barrels a day), which accounts for almost all income state money. Despite positive economic growth in Angola, the county have to face up massive social and economic problems. The country has a high level poverty, social inequality and corruption. According to United Nations standards live in the country 58% people in poverty. Angola also has a very poorly founded education system, where teachers earn very low money. They themselves are poorly educated. Children don’t always have the opportunity to attend to school due to land mines and poor health also, which is one of the reason the low literacy 18 millions Angolans.

Angolans are considered the stoic people, who really love the music and entertainment, therefore you can hear them almost everywhere and the country have lot to offer, especially kuduro, kizomba, sembat and tarrachinhu.

History

Before the Portuguese colonized Angolan territory, there are several government departments, the most famous is the kingdom of Congo. Its centum was situated to in northwestern Angola, but its territory touched current Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and southern Gabon. Kingdom had trading relations with other government departments.

When Portuguese colonized Angola in the 15^th century, country became a line of European trade with India and southeast Asia. In 1575 the Portuguese navigator and explorer founded Luanda as Sao Paulo de Loanda, which at beginning inhabited a hundreds families and 400 soldiers. Another Portuguese settlement was Benguela, which was originally built in 1578 as a fortress, but in 1617 it has grown into an important city. Together with several other settlements became the gate to the slave trade. European traders also exported domestic goods to the coast of Africa, where they exchanged it with the slaves. The slaves used to be traders taken to the Brazil by Portuguese and there had to work on plantations. This involuntary migration of Africans continued until the early 19^th century. In the 17^th century Portugal was in the war with Holland, during which the Dutch occupied Luanda till the time, when a fleet under the command of Salvator de Sa returned to the Portuguese domination its original borders. 

Text: Maxim Kucer

Photo: Wikimedia Commons - Paulo César Santos (foto 2, foto 3, foto 4, foto 5)