Angola:
Geography

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People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. While President DOS SANTOS had pledged to hold legislative elections in 2007, he has since announced that legislative elections will be held in 2008, with Presidential elections planned for 2009. A specific election timetable has yet to be established.

Location	Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates	12 30 S, 18 30 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 1,246,700 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries	total: 5,198 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km
Coastline	1,600 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
Terrain	narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m
Natural resources	petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium
Land use	arable land: 2.65% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 97.12% (2005)
Irrigated land	800 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards	locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Environment - current issues	overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo