Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed forces. A national unity government was installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in fighting over the past quarter century.
Location
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Area Comparative
Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Maritime Claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate
Semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
Natural Hazards
Locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Environment Current Issues
Overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment International Agreements
Party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change
Geography Note
Cabinda is separated from rest of country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo
