Angola's Red List Status: Travel Restrictions And Covid-19

Angola is a country in southwestern Africa with a population of over 30 million people. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa and the second-largest Portuguese-speaking nation in the world. The country gained independence from Portugal in 1975, and its official language is Portuguese, although over 40 other languages are also spoken. Angola is known for its stunning natural beauty, with landscapes ranging from rainforests and savannahs to mountains and beaches. The country has a tropical climate and is home to diverse wildlife, including leopards, elephants, lions, and giraffes. The Angolan cuisine is influenced by Portuguese and African flavours, with funje and fish as the national dish.

Angola has a young population, with nearly half under the age of 15. It is also a leading producer of diamonds and the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa. The country endured a 27-year civil war that started in 1975 and ended in 2002. Today, Angola has a growing tourism industry, with its vibrant music, literature, and film scene attracting international attention.

Angola's official language is Portuguese, but over 40 other languages are spoken, mostly from the Bantu group

Angola's official language is Portuguese, but over 40 other languages are spoken across the country, most of which are from the Bantu language family. Portuguese is the mother tongue of 39% of the population, and it is spoken as a second language by many more. In urban areas, 85% of the population declared to speak Portuguese at home, compared to 49% in rural areas. Portuguese was quickly adopted by Angolans in the mid-20th century as a lingua franca among the various ethnic groups.

The 2014 population census found that about 71% of the nearly 25.8 million inhabitants of Angola speak Portuguese at home. The variant of the Portuguese language used in Angola is known as Angolan Portuguese, which is phonetically very similar to the Mozambican variant, with some exceptions. Some believe that Angolan Portuguese resembles a pidgin in some aspects.

The most widely spoken Bantu language is Umbundu, which is spoken by about 23% of the population, or about 5.9 million people. It is mainly spoken in the centre and south of the country. The Kimbundu language is spoken by about 3 million people in the northwest of Angola, and the Kikongo language is spoken by about 7 million people in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda. The Kikongo language was the first Bantu language written in Latin characters and the first to have a dictionary. The Chokwe language is spoken by around half a million people in Angola, and the Kwanyama language is spoken by around 420,000 people.

Angola is the second-largest Lusophone country in the world

The country gained independence in 1975 as a one-party Republic, but was soon plunged into a devastating civil war between competing movements. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic.

Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves, and its economy is among the fastest-growing in the world. However, economic growth is uneven, and most of the nation's wealth is concentrated in a small portion of the population. Angola is a multicultural and multiethnic country, with its culture reflecting centuries of Portuguese influence, particularly in the predominance of the Portuguese language and the Catholic Church.

Angola is a member of various international organisations, including the United Nations, the African Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, and the Southern African Development Community. It has a population of approximately 37.2 million people, with the capital and most populous city being Luanda.

Angola's birth rate is among the highest in the world

Angola's high birth rate is reflected in its total fertility rate of 5.54 children per woman, the 11th highest in the world. The country's population is growing at a rate of 3.2% per year, and it is estimated that by 2050, Angola's population will be over 60 million, 2.7 times the 2014 population.

Angola's high birth rate is due in part to the country's low life expectancy, which is among the lowest in the world, and high infant mortality rate, which is also among the highest globally. Additionally, a large percentage of the population lives in poverty, with nearly half living on less than $2 per day. This has likely contributed to limited access to family planning and reproductive health services.

The high birth rate in Angola has important implications for the country's social and economic development. It can strain resources and infrastructure, such as education and healthcare, and contribute to population growth that outpaces economic growth, leading to increased poverty and inequality.

Angola's life expectancy is among the lowest in the world

There are several factors contributing to the low life expectancy in Angola. Firstly, the country has a history of conflict and political instability, including a protracted civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002. This period of conflict led to the destruction of infrastructure, displacement of populations, and limited access to healthcare and essential resources. Additionally, Angola continues to face challenges with economic inequality, where wealth is concentrated in a small sector of the population, and a large proportion of people live below the poverty line.

Furthermore, Angola struggles with a high burden of infectious diseases, including cholera, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, which contribute to the low life expectancy. The healthcare system in Angola is also under-resourced and lacks adequate infrastructure, further impacting the country's ability to address health issues.

However, there are some positive developments in Angola's healthcare sector. For example, the private health sector is growing, particularly in urban centres, and the government has implemented vaccination campaigns to address specific health concerns, such as measles. Nonetheless, more comprehensive efforts are needed to improve healthcare access and address the social and economic inequalities that contribute to the low life expectancy in Angola.

Angola is the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa

Angola is a country in Southern Africa, officially known as the Republic of Angola. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa and the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population. Angola has a population of around 33 million and is bordered by Zambia to the east, Namibia to the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north and northeast. The capital and largest city is Luanda, and the national currency is the kwanza. Portuguese is the official language, but Bantu and other African languages are also spoken.

Angola's state-owned oil company, the Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola, also known as Sonangol, historically oversaw virtually all oil and gas development in the country. However, in recent years, President João Lourenço has made efforts to form a new independent regulatory organization, the Agência Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos e Biocombustìveis (ANHB).

Some of the significant international oil companies that have operated in Angola include BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Total, Statoil, Eni, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Angola's vast mineral and petroleum reserves have contributed to its rapid economic growth, but this growth is unevenly distributed, with most of the nation's wealth concentrated in a small portion of the population.

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