The Mystery Of Angola's Big Stripe: Unveiling A Country's Secret

Angola is a country in southwestern Africa with a complex history and a diverse cultural and linguistic makeup. It is bordered by Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and the Atlantic Ocean, with a unique exclave province, Cabinda, bordering the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Angola's history is marked by colonial rule, anticolonial struggles, and a devastating civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002. Today, Angola is one of Africa's major oil producers and has vast mineral and petroleum reserves, driving its economy to be one of the fastest-growing in the world. However, this wealth is not evenly distributed, and Angola continues to face social and economic challenges, including a low standard of living for most of its population.

One particular geographic feature of interest near Angola is the Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi. The Caprivi Strip is a geographic salient, or a narrow protrusion of land, extending from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It borders Botswana to the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and comes within just 150 meters of Zimbabwe, almost forming a quadripoint. This strip of land is significant due to its potential as a trading route to Africa's East Coast via the Zambezi River. However, the river's navigability and political uncertainties in the region have made its utilization challenging.

The flag of Angola

The colours of the flag were originally inspired by the ruling party at the time, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). The red symbolised socialism, while the black represented the African continent. The emblem featured a half-gear, a machete, and a five-pointed star, symbolising hard-working people, peasantry, and socialism, respectively. The yellow colour of the emblem also represented the country's mineral wealth.

Over time, the meanings of the colours evolved for the people of Angola. The red came to symbolise the bloodshed during the country's struggle for independence, while the black continued to represent the African continent. Alternatively, the colours together could also symbolise freedom and death.

The flag's rectangular shape has a proportion of 2:3 in terms of length and width, with the red and black stripes of equal proportion. The Constitution of Angola recognises the flag, along with the national anthem and insignia, as the symbols of the republic.

The current flag of Angola was inspired by the design of the Soviet Union's flag, reflecting the Marxist government in power at the time of its creation in 1975. The flag's design also has similarities with the Vietnam Front's flag, which consisted of horizontal stripes of red over a light blue background and a yellow five-pointed star in the centre.

Angola's flag also has historical connections to its previous flags. The flag of the Kingdom of Kongo, which existed in the region before Portuguese colonisation, featured a white background with a red X in the centre. During Portuguese rule, the flag consisted of green and red stripes, with the Portuguese lesser national insignia in the centre.

Angola's economy

Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves. Oil production and supporting activities are vital to the economy, contributing about 45% to GDP and 90% of exports. Angola is the third-largest producer of diamonds in Africa and has only explored 40% of its diamond-rich territory. Diamonds account for 1.48% of Angolan exports.

Angola's economic fortunes have been tied to global oil demand, which brought volatile growth and left the country with high levels of poverty and inequality. Angola's dependence on the oil sector has increased its vulnerability to external shocks and undermined macroeconomic stability. While economic recovery is expected in 2024, the over-reliance on oil means that risks to the outlook remain high.

Angola's biggest trade partner and export destination is China, followed by India, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates. Angola's biggest import partners are the European Union, China, Togo, the United States, and Brazil.

Angola's history

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in southwestern Africa. It is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in both total area and population and is the seventh-largest country in Africa.

Pre-Colonial Angola

Angola has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. The Kingdom of Kongo, a hegemonic state of a number of other Kikongo-speaking kingdoms, flourished in and after the 14th century. The kingdom became extremely wealthy and powerful through its involvement in the Atlantic slave trade with the Portuguese Empire.

Portuguese Colonisation

The Portuguese first arrived in Angola in 1483 and gradually began building coastal settlements and trading posts. In 1575, Paulo Dias de Novais founded São Paulo de Loanda (Luanda) with a hundred families of settlers and four hundred soldiers. The Portuguese established their primary early trading post at Soyo, which became the northernmost city in Angola.

The Slave Trade

Between 1580 and 1680, more than one million people were enslaved and shipped to Brazil. The slave trade was officially abolished by the Portuguese government in 1836. However, the slave trade continued in Angola until after Brazil's independence in the 1820s.

Independence and Civil War

In 1974, a revolution in Portugal caused its colonial empire to collapse, and the Portuguese withdrew from Angola in 1975. The rival former independence movements competed for power until 2002, resulting in a 27-year civil war that ravaged the country. The civil war involved forces from Cuba and South Africa, and it ended with the killing of rebel leader Jonas Savimbi.

Post-Civil War

Angola has vast mineral and petroleum reserves, and its economy is among the fastest-growing in the world. However, economic growth is highly uneven, and much of its oil wealth lies in its separate Cabinda province, where a decades-long separatist conflict simmers. Angola has a serious humanitarian crisis as a result of the prolonged war, the abundance of minefields, and continued political agitation.

Angola's wildlife

Angola is a biologically diverse nation, with nearly 2,000 species of flora and fauna, hundreds of which are indigenous to the country. The country's wildlife consists of:

Mammals

Commonly found mammals in Angola include giant otter shrews, Congo golden moles, aardvarks, red-tailed monkeys, plains zebra, Beecroft’s flying squirrels, antelopes, and hedgehogs.

Reptiles

Fischer’s thick-toed geckos, large-scale grass lizards, and olive marsh snakes are typical representatives of Angola's reptilian population.

Amphibians

Angola is home to a variety of frogs, toads, and squeakers.

Birds

Angola's skies see nearly 1,000 avian species every year. Common bird species in the region include common ostriches, albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, herons, egrets, flamingos, and storks. Angola also has a couple of African penguin populations, which are endangered.

Invertebrates

A 2018 publication reported 117 species of amphibians and 278 of reptiles in Angola.

Flora

The southern and central coasts include the welwitschia, a primitive conifer. The grassy savanna around Lobito includes baobab and euphorbia trees. The Huambo, Benguela, and Huíla provinces are home to montane forest with rare flora. The grassy savanna in the north includes miombo woodland and some evergreen forest.

Fossils

Angola's fossil record is impressive, with over 1,300 fossil species.

Angola's geography

Angola is located on the west-central coast of Southern Africa and is the continent's seventh-largest country. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, Zambia to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and northeast, the Republic of the Congo to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country has a varied landscape, from the semidesert Atlantic littoral bordering Namibia's "Skeleton Coast" to the north's densely populated towns and cities along the coast and river valleys.

The coastal plain of Angola is relatively flat, with low cliffs and bluffs of red sandstone. The coastal plain varies in width from approximately 25 kilometres near Benguela to more than 150 kilometres in the Cuanza River Valley, just south of the capital, Luanda. The coastal region is marked by sand dunes in the far south, dry scrub in the middle, and thick brush in the north.

Inland, the landscape rises abruptly to the east in a series of escarpments, leading to rugged highlands. The Bié Plateau, located east of Benguela, is a rough quadrilateral of land above the 5,000-foot mark, reaching a height of about 8,600 feet and covering about one-tenth of the country. The Malanje highlands in the north-central region are less extensive and lower in elevation, while the Huíla plateau in the south rises steeply to an elevation of about 7,700 feet.

The central uplands of Angola are drained by numerous rivers, including the Zambezi and several Congo River tributaries. The country's longest river, the Cuanza, flows for about 620 miles, bending westward through a break in the escarpment and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. The Cunene River, which marks the border with Namibia, flows southward before turning west and breaking through the escarpment at the Ruacana Falls.

Angola's climate is tropical, with distinct rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season lasts from September to May in the north and from December to March in the south. The country experiences frequent droughts, especially in the south. Temperatures generally decrease with distance from the equator, proximity to the coast, and increasing elevation.

Angola is rich in natural resources, including diamonds, metals, and petroleum. The country has the highest oil production in sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite its natural wealth, Angola faces significant social and economic challenges due to the lasting impacts of the civil war and persistent authoritarianism.

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