Angola is
re-emerging from decades of civil war, and adventurous travelers are beginning to tentatively discover its
Portuguese architecture, 1650km (1025 miles) of
coastline and little-visited
wildlife parks.
Thick
forest, elevated
plains and forceful rivers define the country's landscape - along with the sands of the Namibe
desert. Visitors can search for African wildlife, including the black palanca antelope, a species unique to Angola.
A
ceasefire was finally achieved in 2002, paving the way for
a final political settlement and, in April 2003, the people and government of Angola celebrated their first year of continuous
peace for more than a quarter of a century.
Although there is still some sporadic fighting, notably between government forces and separatist groups in the oil-rich Cabinda enclave, most of the country has now embarked upon the monumental task of reconstruction.
GeographyAngola is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, Namibia to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Mountains rise from the coast, leveling to a plateau which makes up most of the country. The country is increasingly arid towards the south; the far south is on the edge of the Namib Desert. The northern plateau is thickly vegetated. Cabinda is a small enclave to the north of Angola proper, surrounded by the territories of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congo. The discovery of large oil deposits off the coast of the enclave has led to it becoming the center of Angola’s foreign business interests. The oil industry is based primarily at Malongo.
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