y Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos) and Council of Ministers. Currently, political power is concentrated in the Presidency. The Council of Ministers, composed of all government ministers and vice ministers, meets regularly to discuss policy issues. Governors of the 18 provinces are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the president. The Constitutional Law of 1992 establishes the broad outlines of government structure and delineates the rights and duties of citizens. The legal system is based on Portuguese and customary law but is weak and fragmented, and courts operate in only twelve of more than 140 municipalities. A Supreme Court serves as the appellate tribunal; a Constitutional Court with powers of judicial review has never been constituted despite statutory authorization. Critics have drawn an ironic comparison between Angola's current one-party rule and the authoritarian government of António de Oliveira Salazar of Portugal, under whose rule Angolans began their revolt for independence. The current government has announced an intention to hold elections in 2009. These elections would be the first since 1992 and would serve to elect both a new president and a new National Assembly. [edit] Administrative divisions Main articles: Provinces of Angola and Municipalities of Angola Angola is divided into eighteen provinces (províncias) and 163 municipalities.[10] The provinces are: Bengo Benguela Bié Cabinda Cuando Cubango Cuanza Norte Cuanza Sul Cunene Huambo Huila Luanda Lunda Norte Lunda Sul Malanje Moxico Namibe Uíge Zaire [edit] Exclave of Cabinda Main articles: Cabinda and Republic of Cabinda With an area of approximately 7,283 km² (2,800 square miles), the Northern Angolan province of Cabinda is unique in being separated from the rest of the country by a strip, some 60 km wide, of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along the lower Congo river. Cabinda borders the Congo Republic to the north and north-northeast and the DRC to the east and south. The town of Cabinda is the chief population centre. According to a 1995 census, Cabinda had an estimated population of 600,000, approximately 400,000 of whom live in neighbouring countries. Population estimates are, however, highly unreliable. Consisting largely of tropical forest, Cabinda produces hardwoods, coffee, cocoa, crude rubber and palm oil. The product for which it is best known, however, is its oil, which has given it the nickname, "the Kuwait of Africa". Cabinda's petroleum production from its considerable offshore reserves now accounts for more than half of Angola's output. Most of the oil along its coast was discovered under Portuguese rule by the Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (CABCOG) from 1968 onwards. Since Portugal handed over sovereignty of its former overseas province of Angola to the local independentist groups (MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA), the territory of Cabinda has been a theatre of separatist guerrilla actions opposing the Government of Angola (which has employed its military forces, the FAA – Forças Armadas Angolanas) and Cabindan separatists. The Cabindan separatists, FLEC-FAC, created a virtual Federal Republic of Cabinda under the Presidency of N'Zita Henriques Tiago. In its website, it claimed to be committed to building a Republic of Cabinda in which "freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish". This Federal Republic, with Tchiowa (Cabinda) as its capital city, would be administratively made up of seven districts, with a system of government which the website simply describes as a "true democracy" and a legal system based on traditional N'Goyo law. One of the characteristics of the Cabindan independence movement is its constant fragmentation, into smaller and smaller factions, in a process which the Angolan government, although not totally fomented by it, undoubtedly encourages and duly exploits it. [edit] Military Main article: Military of Angola The Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) is headed by a Chief of Staff who reports to the Minister of Defense. There are three divisions--the Army, (Exército), Navy (Marinha de Guerra, MGA), and Air and Air Defense Forces (Força Aérea Nacional, FAN). Total manpower is about 110,000. The army is by far the largest of the services with about 100,000 men and women. The Navy numbers about 3,000 and operates several small patrol craft and barges. Air force personnel total about 7,000; its equipment includes Russian-manufactured fighters, bombers, and transport planes. There are also, Brazilian made EMB-312 Tucano for Training role, Czech made L-39 for training and bombing role, Czech Zlin for training role and a variety of western made aircraft such as C-212\Aviocar, Sud Aviation Aloutte III, etc. A small number of FAA personnel are stationed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) and the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). [edit] Police The National Police departments are: Public Order, Criminal Investigation, Traffic and Transport, Investigation and Inspection of Economic Activities, Taxation and Frontier Supervision, Riot Police and the Rapid Intervention Police. The National Police are in the process of standing up an air wing, which will provide helicopter support for police operations. The National Police are also developing their criminal investigation and forensic capabilities. The National Police has an estimated 6,000 patrol officers, 2,500 Taxation and Frontier Supervision officers, 182 criminal investigators and 100 financial crimes detectives and 90 Economic Activity Inspectors. The National Police have implemented a modernization and development plan to increase the capabilities and efficiency of the total force. In addition to administrative reorganization; modernization projects include procurement of new vehicles, aircraft and equipment, construction of new police stations and forensic laboratories, restructured training programs and the replacement of AKM rifles with 9 mm UZIs for police officers in urban areas. [edit] Geography Satellite image of Angola, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library Main article: Geography of Angola At 481,321 square miles (1,246,700 km²), [1] Angola is the world's twenty-third largest country (after Niger). It is comparable in size to Mali and is nearly twice the size of the US state of Texas, or five times the area of the United Kingdom. Angola is bordered by Namibia to the south, Zambia to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north-east, and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west. The exclave of Cabinda also borders the Republic of the Congo to the north. Angola's capital, Luanda, lies on the Atlantic coast in the north-west of the country. Angola's average temperature on the coast is 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 °C) in the winter and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 °C) in the summer. [edit] Economy Main article: Economy of Angola Luanda is Angola's capital city and economic and commercial hub. Angola's economy has undergone a period of transformation in recent years, moving from the disarray caused by a quarter century of war to being the second fastest growing economy in Africa and one of the fastest in the world. In 2004, China's Eximbank approved a $2 billion line of credit to Angola. The loan is being used to rebuild Angola's infrastructure, and has also limited the influence of the International Monetary Fund in the country.[11] Growth is almost entirely driven by rising oil production which surpassed 1.4 million barrels (220,000 m³) per day in late-2005 and which is expected to grow to 2 million barrels (320,000 m³) per day by 2007. Control of the oil industry is consolidated in Sonangol Group, a conglomerate which is owned by the Angolan government. In December 2006, Angola was admitted as a member of OPEC.[12] The economy grew 18% in 2005, 26% in 2006 and 17.6% in 2007 and it's expected to stay above 10% for the rest of the decade. The security brought about by the 2002 peace settlement has led to the resettlement of 4 million displaced persons, thus resulting in large-scale increases in agriculture production. The country has developed its economy since political stability arose in 2002. However, it faces huge social and economic problems as a result of an almost continual state of conflict since 1961, although the highest level of destruction and socio-economic damage was reached after the 1975 independence, during the long years of civil war. Rapidly rising production and revenues from the oil sector have been the main driving forces behind the improvements in overall economic activity – nevertheless, poverty remains widespread. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International rated Angola one of the 10 most corrupt countries in the world in 2005. The capital city is the most developed and the only large economic center worth mentioning in the country, however, slums called musseques, stretch for miles beyond Luanda's former city limits. According to an American think tank, oil from Angola has increased so significantly that Angola now is the Chinese Communist Party's biggest supplier of oil.[13] [edit] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Angola Angola is composed of Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestiços (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, and 22% 'other' ethnic groups.[14] Angola is a majority Christian country, with 53% of citizens professing the religion. Most Angolan Christians are Roman Catholic, 38%, or Protestant, 15%. 46.8% of Angolans practice indigenous beliefs. [edit] Culture Main article: Culture of Angola Portugal ruled over Angola for 400 years and both countries share cultural aspects: language (Portuguese) and main religion (Roman Catholic Christianity). The Angolan culture is mostly native Bantu which was mixed with Portuguese culture. [edit] See also Angolan Civil War Angolan musicians Angola national football team Angola national basketball team Associação de Escuteiros de Angola Communications in Angola Contemporary Dance Company of Angola Demographics of Angola Foreign relations of Angola Islam in Angola List of Angolan companies List of Angola-related topics List of writers from Angola Military of Angola Sonangol Group Transport in Angola List of cities and towns in Angola Capoeira [edit] Further reading Le Billon, P. (2005). "Aid in the Midst of Plenty: Oil Wealth, Misery and Advocacy in Angola." Disasters 29(1): 1-25. Cilliers, Jackie and Christian Dietrich, Eds. (2000). Angola's War Economy: The Role of Oil and Diamonds. Pretoria, South Africa, Institute for Security Studies. Global Witness (1999). A Crude Awakening, The Role of Oil and Banking Industries in Angola's Civil War and the Plundering of State Assets. London, UK, Global Witness. http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/93/en/a_crude_awakening Hodges, T. (2004). Angola: The Anatomy of an Oil State. Oxford, UK and Indianapolis, US, The Fridtjol Nansen Institute & The International African Institute in association with James Currey and Indiana University Press. Human Rights Watch (2004). Some Transparency, No Accountability: The Use of Oil Revenues in Angola and Its Impact on Human Rights. New York, Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/angola0104/ Human Rights Watch (2005). Coming Home, Return and Reintegration in Angola. New York, Human Rights Watch. http://hrw.org/reports/2005/angola0305/ Kapuscinski, Ryszard. Another Day of Life, Penguin, 1975. ISBN 014118678X. A Polish journalist's account of Portuguese withdrawal from Angola and the beginning of the civil war. Kevlihan, R. (2003). "Sanctions and humanitarian concerns: Ireland and Angola, 2001-2." Irish Studies in International Affairs 14: 95-106. Lari, A. (2004). Returning home to a normal life? The plight of displaced Angolans. Pretoria, South Africa, Institute for Security Studies. http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/papers/85/Paper85.pdf Lari, A. and R. Kevlihan (2004). "International Human Rights Protection in Situations of Conflict and Post-Conflict, A Case Study of Angola." African Security Review 13(4): 29-41. http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/ASR/13No4/FLari.pdf Le Billon, P. (2001). "Angola’s Political Economy of War: The Role of Oil and Diamonds." African Affairs(100): 55-80. Médecins Sans Frontières (2002). Angola: Sacrifice of a People. Luanda, Angola, MSF. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/reports/2002/angola1_10-2002.pdf Pinto Escoval [2004): "Staatszerfall im südlichen Afrika. Das Beispiel Angola". Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Berlin Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website. Le Billon, P. (2006). Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflicts. Routledge. ISBN 0415379709.  Pearce, J. (2004). "War, Peace and Diamonds in Angola: Popular perceptions of the diamond industry in the Lundas." 2005.African Security Review 13 (2), 2004, pp 51-64. http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/ASR/13No2/AW.pdf Porto, J. G. (2003). Cabinda: Notes on a soon to be forgotten war. Pretoria, South Africa, Institute for Security Studies. http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/papers/77/Paper77.html Tvedten, I. (1997). Angola, Struggle for Peace and Reconstruction. Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press. Vines, A. (1999). Angola Unravels: The Rise and Fall of the Lusaka Peace Process. New York and London, UK, Human Rights Watch. Godfrey Mwakikagile, Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era, Third Edition, Pretoria, South Africa, 2006, on Angola in Chapter Eleven, "American Involvement in Angola and Southern Africa: Nyerere's Response," pp. 324 – 346, ISBN 978-0980253412. [edit] References ^ Boahen, Adu Boahen. Topics In West African History, 110.  ^ a b Kwaku Person-Lynn. Afrikan Involvement In Atlantic Slave Trade (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-25, 2007. ^ a b Rothschild, Donald S. (1997). Managing Ethnic Conflict in Africa: Pressures and Incentives for Cooperation, 116.  ^ Spínola met with President Mobutu of Zaire, on September 15, 1974 on Sal island in the Cape Verde, crafting a plan to empower Roberto, Savimbi, and Daniel Chipenda of the Eastern Revolt. Mobutu and Spínola wanted to diminish Neto's standing and present Chipenda as the MPLA head. Mobutu particularly preferred Chipenda to Neto because Chipenda supported autonomy for Cabinda and Neto did not. The Angolan exclave has immense petroleum reserves estimated at around 300 million tons which Zaire, and thus the Mobutu government, depended on for economic survival. ^ Tvedten, Inge (1997). Angola: Struggle for Peace and Reconstruction, 36.  ^ Angola's 25 Years of Civil War - UN Security Council ^ Scherrer, Christian P. (2002). Genocide and Crisis in Central Africa: Conflict Roots, Mass Violence, and Regional War, 335.  ^ Wayne Madsen (2002). Report Alleges US Role in Angola Arms-for-Oil Scandal (HTML). CorpWatch. Retrieved on 2007-09-04, 2007. ^ Lari (2004), Human Rights Watch (2005) ^ Virtual Angola Facts and Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-10-30. ^ The Increasing Importance of African Oil. Power and Interest Report (March 20, 2006). ^ "Angola: Country Admitted As Opec Member", Angola Press Agency, 2006-12-14.  ^ http://www.heritage.org/research/africa/HL1006.CFM ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Angola [edit] External links Find more about Angola on Wikipedia's sister projects: Dictionary definitions Textbooks Quotations Source texts Images and media News stories Learning resources [edit] Government Embassy of Angola in Washington DC Embassy of Angola in Ottawa, Canada [edit] Portuguese Republic of Angola (official government portal) National Assembly of Angola [edit] News Canal Angola News about music from Angola and events, Videos, Mp3 children of Angola – a web documentary on the forgotten children of Angola. - Newspapers from Angola – The most important online newspapers from Angola. Mwangole Amizades Angola Dating, relationship, and more allAfrica - Angola – News headline links Angola Press – Government-controlled news agency (in Portuguese, French and English) Angola Xyami - Angola Minha Terra (in Portuguese) – Reflections end News on new Angola in peace Angonoticias (in Portuguese) – A popular news source in Angola Mangole (in Portuguese) – A full news source in Angola and web directory of Angolan sites online Televisão Pública de Angola (in Portuguese) – Angola's state-owned national TV station Rádio Nacional de Angola (in Portuguese) – Angola's state-owned national radio station Jornal de Angola (in Portuguese) – A popular newspaper in Angola 400 Years Ago – Washington Post news story on the possible fate of the first African slaves taken to US. [2] – "Amputee Beauty Pageant Crowns Miss Landmine 2008" news story about new beauty pagent in Angola for women who lost limbs in landmines admist the nation's civil war. [edit] Politics Official webpage of MPLA Official webpage of UNITA Official webpage of JMPLA [edit] Overviews BBC - Country profile: Angola Angola entry at The World Factbook US State Department - Angola includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports OECD DEV/AfDB - Country Study: Angola Rural poverty in Angola (IFAD) World Bank Country Brief: Angola [edit] Directories Columbia University Libraries - Angola directory category of the WWW-VL Open Directory Project - Angola directory category Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Angola directory category www.angolinks.com - webdirectory of Angolan sites online Encyclopedia of the Nations: Angola World Intellectual Property Handbook: Angola [edit] Tourism Angola travel guide from Wikitravel [edit] Other Can Corporate Power Transform Equatorial Guinea and Angola? 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