The Vibrant Truth About Carmine Angola

Carmine Angola is a deep red colour pigment, which is also known as cochineal when extracted from the cochineal insect. The word carmine comes from the Medieval Latin word carminium, which is derived from the Persian word قرمز qirmiz, meaning crimson. Carmine dye is produced from the acid that female cochineal insects secrete to deter predators. The dye is commonly used in cosmetics, food products, and art.

Angola's history

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-central coast of Southern 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. Its formation as a nation-state originates from the Kingdom of Kongo, the hegemonic state of a number of other Kikongo-speaking kingdoms that flourished in and after the 14th century. The Kingdom of Kongo became extremely wealthy and powerful through establishing the Atlantic slave trade with the Portuguese Empire. Its first explorers established relations with Kongo in 1483, and additional migrants gradually began building coastal settlements and trading posts.

Colonial Angola

The banning of the slave trade in the 19th century severely disrupted Kongo's undiversified economic system. European settlers gradually began to establish themselves in the interior. The Portuguese colony that became Angola did not achieve its present borders until the early 20th century. There had been strong resistance by native groups such as the Cuamato, the Kwanyama, and the Mbunda.

Angola's Independence and Civil War

After a protracted anti-colonial struggle (1961-1974), Angola achieved independence in 1975 as a one-party Republic. But competing movements still struggled for power in the new nation. The country descended into a devastating civil war the same year, between the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba; the insurgent National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, an originally Maoist and later anti-communist group supported by the United States and South Africa; and the militant organization National Liberation Front of Angola, backed by Zaire.

The MPLA stayed in power. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic.

Angola's economy

Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic. The government's policy has prioritised the repair and improvement of infrastructure and the strengthening of political and social institutions. During the first decade of the 21st century, Angola's economy was one of the fastest-growing in the world, with reported annual average GDP growth of 11.1% from 2001 to 2010. High international oil prices and rising oil production contributed to strong economic growth, although with high inequality.

Angola's financial system is maintained by the National Bank of Angola. The country's biggest import partners are the European Union, China, Togo, the United States, and Brazil. More than half of Angola's exports go to China, followed by smaller amounts to India, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates.

Angola has a population of approximately 37.2 million people and is a member of the Southern African Development Community. The country's official language is Portuguese, and the capital and most populous city is Luanda.

Angola's population

Angola has a high fertility rate of 5.54 children per woman and a low life expectancy, resulting in a rapidly growing population. The country's population is expected to continue growing, with projections estimating a population of over 38 million by 2024.

Angola's politics

Independence

After a protracted anti-colonial struggle (1961-1974), Angola achieved independence in 1975 as a one-party Republic. But competing movements still struggled for power in the new nation. The country descended into a devastating civil war the same year, between the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), backed by the Soviet Union and Cuba; the insurgent National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, an originally Maoist and later anti-communist group supported by the United States and South Africa; and the militant organization National Liberation Front of Angola, backed by Zaire.

The MPLA stayed in power and has ruled Angola ever since.

Civil War

The civil war lasted from 1975 until 2002 and ravaged the country's political and social institutions. The UN estimates of 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), while generally, the accepted figure for war-affected people is 4 million. The 26-year-long conflict also led to the collapse of administrative infrastructure and many social institutions.

Post-Civil War Politics

Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic. The politics of Angola takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Angola is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the President, the government, and parliament.

Angola's government is composed of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. For decades, political power has been concentrated in the presidency with the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola.

In 2017, President José Eduardo dos Santos stepped down after 38 years in power, being peacefully succeeded by João Lourenço, his chosen successor. Since then, President Lourenço has started a campaign against corruption, targeting individuals from the previous administration.

In August 2022, the ruling party, MPLA, won another outright majority and President Joao Lourenco won a second five-year term in the election. However, the election was the tightest in Angola’s history.

Angola's geography

Angola is located on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in the world in terms of both total area and population, and the seventh-largest country in Africa. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north and northeast, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Angola also has an exclave province, Cabinda, which borders the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital and most populous city is Luanda, a large port city on the northern coast.

Angola has a varied landscape, including a semi-desert Atlantic littoral, a sparsely populated rainforest interior, rugged highlands in the south, and densely settled towns and cities in the north and north-central river valleys. The coastal plain is relatively flat, with occasional low cliffs and bluffs of red sandstone. From this narrow coastal plain, the land rises abruptly to the east in a series of escarpments to rugged highlands, which then slope down towards the centre of the continent. The highest point in Angola is Morro de Môco, at 2,620 metres.

Angola has four principal natural regions: the arid coastal lowland, stretching from Namibia to Luanda; green hills and mountains, rising inland from the coast into a great escarpment; a large area of high inland plains of dry savanna, called the high plateau (planalto); and rainforest in the north and in Cabinda. The country is home to three distinct regions of rock formations: the littoral zone, the median zone formed by a series of hills parallel to the coast, and the central plateau.

The Zambezi River and several tributaries of the Congo River have their sources in Angola. The country's rivers flow in diverse patterns, with some flowing westwards to the Atlantic Ocean, and others flowing north or south into neighbouring countries. The Cuanza (Kwanza) and the Cunene (Kunene) are Angola's two most important rivers, both of which take an indirect route to the Atlantic. The Cuanza is the only river wholly within Angola that is navigable by large boats.

Angola has a tropical climate 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 dry season is often characterised by heavy morning mist. Temperatures fall as distance from the equator and altitude increase, and tend to rise closer to the Atlantic Ocean.

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