Angola

Quick Facts

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Capital

Luanda

Population

10,400,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Indigenous beliefs, Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Portuguese

Calling Code

+244

Nationality

Angolan

Local name

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Introduction

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Angola is not exactly the safest destination in the world, despite the official end of the 25 year long civil war in 2002. War certainly ravages a land and its people, as visitors to Angola will find. This is a destination for aid workers, not tourists.

That said, Angola has embarked on the road of recovery. When it finally becomes a safe option for travellers, the nation's cultural heritage will prove its greatest lure. Dance, music and art all emanate from a rich past and have helped shape the sights and sounds of the rest of the world.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Angola is administratively divided into 18 provinces (províncias); Bengo, Benguela, Bié, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uíge, Zaire

Geographically the country can be divided into 3 areas.

• The coastal lowland is a relatively arid area rising from the sea in a series of low terraces.
• A belt of hills & mountains runs parallel to the coast, 20 to 100 kilometres inland.
• The high plateau to the east of the hills and mountains dominates Angola's terrain and are typically flat, rolling landscapes.

Cities

• Luanda - The capital
• Cabinda
• Benguela - Angola's second-largest city, but considered by many to be its cultural capital.
• Huambo
• Lobito
• Namibe
• M'Banza Congo
• Ondjiva
• Saurimo
• Lubango

Sights and Activities

Beaches

Angola boasts over 1,650 kilometres of coastline, and travellers can find great beaches around Luanda, Benguela and Namibe. Thanks to a year-round warm climate, anytime is a great time to duck to the beach. The water on the other hand can be somewhat colder in the south, due to the cold Benguela current.

Kissama National Park

Kissama is one of Angola's best national parks, boasting a lively population of elephants, rhinos, water buffaloes and antelopes. Nesting sea turtles inhabit the park's coastal areas. Kissama is located about 70km south of Luanda, making it easily accessible. It acutally functions as the only national park with some facilities for travellers, while others are still in repair.

Iona National Park

Iona National park is located in the southern Namibe Province of Angola, about 200 kilometers from the city of Namibe and the largest national park in the country.The park is known for unique flora and incredible rock formations and used to be a paradise for wildlife as well. Unfortunately, like many other parks in the country, many of the wildlife has been poached or otherwise destroyed during the Angola Civil War.

Other sights and activities

• Tunda-Vala - A 2600km-tall volcanic fissure near Lubango, affording a spectacular view.
• Cavaco River valley - Near Benguela, the Cavaco River valley is a great place to appreciate African culture in one of the country's most densely populated areas.
• Cameia National Park - seasonally inundated plains that form part of the Zambezi river basin.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting there

By Plane

TAAG Angola Airlines (Portuguese only) is the national airline of Angola and is based at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD) near the capital Luanda. International destinations from here include Accra, Addis Ababa, Bangui, Beijing, Brazzaville, Cabinda, Harare, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Lisbon, Lubango, Lusaka, N'djamena, Namibe, Ondjiva (Namibia), Paris, Pointe Noire, Rio de Janeiro, Sal, São Tomé, Salvador da Bahia and Windhoek.

Several other airlines fly to and from here as well, including British Airways from London, Brussels Airlines from Brussels, Air France from Paris, TAP Portugal from Lisbon and probably KLM from Amsterdam at the end of 2008. Moscow, China and Johannesburg all have good connections as well.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting around

By Plane

Cabinda, Catumbela, Dundo, Huambo, Luena, Luanda (Quatro de Fevereiro Airport), Lubango, Malanje, Menongue, Namibe, Ondjiva and Soyo are domestic destinations served by TAAG Angola Airlines.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

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