Angola is the largest country in Southern Africa with a total land area of 1,246 million km2. It has a coastline of 1,600 km on the Atlantic Ocean and shares borders with Congo (via the Cabinda enclave), DRC, Zambia and Namibia. After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, the country fought a civil war for 27 years and needs considerable reconstruction as a result. A lower middle-income country with a per capita GNI of USD 906-3,595 in 2006, Angola falls into the IDA lending category, giving it access to deeply concessional loans and grants. The country is characterised by extreme income inequality; it ranks 162/177 in UNDP’s Human Development Index and 110/128 countries included in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Development index. It is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and OPEC. The incumbent MPLA was re-elected in September 2008.
Angola is the largest country in Southern Africa with a total land area of 1,246 million km2. It has a coastline of 1,600 km on the Atlantic Ocean and shares borders with Congo (via the Cabinda enclave), DRC, Zambia and Namibia. After gaining independence from Portugal in 1975, the country fought a civil war for 27 years and needs considerable reconstruction as a result. A lower middle-income country with a per capita GNI of USD 906-3,595 in 2006, Angola falls into the IDA lending category, giving it access to deeply concessional loans and grants. The country is characterised by extreme income inequality; it ranks 162/177 in UNDP’s Human Development Index and 110/128 countries included in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Development index. It is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and OPEC. The incumbent MPLA was re-elected in September 2008.