Formerly a Portuguese colony and later an overseas province of Portugal (1951), Angola gained independence on 11 November 1975 in the midst of a bitter civil war between the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, well-disposed towards the West and linked to the discriminatory regime in South Africa).
The MPLA, led by Agostinho Neto, took charge of the government and UNITA began a long period of guerrilla warfare which appeared to end with the Lisbon peace accords (31 May 1991). However, after the MPLA won the elections in 1992, UNITA took up arms again, largely financed by the illegal trade of diamonds. In 2002, after the death of their leader Jonas Savimbi (on 22 February of that year), the UNITA rebels agreed to the cease-fire put forward by the government, in exchange for an amnesty. Since 2006, an agreement has also been in place with the separatist movement of Cabinda, the Angolan exclave with rich oil reserves. There thus began a period of normalization which resulted in elections in 2008. An armed separatist movement is active in the oil-rich exclave of Cabinda.
According to the 2010 Constitution, the unicameral Parliament consists of 220 elected members with a five-year term; the head of the party that receives the highest number of votes is elected President of the Republic.

Economic situation.
The economy, strongly tied to the export of hydrocarbons, had already slowed in growth since 2014, following a drop in market prices. The additional reduction in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a deficit in the balance of payments. A slow recovery began in 2021. In recent years, the government reduced fuel subsidies and intervened in public companies, subsequently privatized in part, to alleviate pressure on public accounts. The central bank adopted a restrictive monetary policy in order to contain the gradual depreciation of the kwanza, which had been tied to the dollar until January 2018. Growth in sectors not tied to hydrocarbons was weak, while the unfavourable economic situation led to a gradual increase in the public debt. Foreign investments, specifically from China and the EU, played a considerable role in building infrastructure within the country.

Primary sector.
Only a small percentage of the land is cultivated and a large amount of the food requirement must be imported. The main crops are cassava, bananas and oil palm for export. Important fishing ports are Luanda, Sumbe, Porto Amboim, Benguela and Namibe: the fish caught is partly exported (crustaceans).

Secondary and tertiary sector.
The main mining resources are oil (at Cabinda, Benfica, Luanda, Cacuaco, Tobias and Galinda), diamonds (at Dundo and in the provinces of Cuando-Cubango and Malanje) and iron (at Cassinda and Saia). Oil extraction forms approximately 90% of the export value, bound mainly for China. This, with its related activities, is the main source of the country’s GDP. International oil companies from the United States and Europe are involved in joint venture operations and production sharing agreements with Sonangol, the national oil company. Bituminous substances are also extracted (at Libongo and Husso), manganese (at Quicuimbe and Quitota), copper (at Mavoio and Bembe), sea salt (at Lobito), natural gas, diamonds and phosphates. The Ruacaná hydroelectric power station is the main source of electricity in the country. Among the basic industrial segments, oil-refining (at Luanda, Cabinda and a new plant under construction at Lobito), steelworks (at Luanda) and cement works (at Luanda, Benguela and Lobito) stand out. The manufacturing industry is centred on sugar refineries (at Cacuso near Malanje), breweries (at Bengo, Cabinda, Dondo, Huambo, Lobito, Luanda and Lubango), tobacco factories (at Luanda and Lobito), oil processing plants (at Luanda and Kuito), and cotton mills (at Dondo). An industrial zone has been developed on the outskirts of Luanda thanks to aid from South Africa.

The Benguela railway line to Luau was re-activated in 2013 (more than 1500 km long), which could take mining products from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the port of Lobito; in 2010-2011 the line (480 km) came back into operation between Luanda and the north-eastern province of Malanje, famous for its diamonds.