ola held national elections, but
UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls.
Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people
displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in
2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on
power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will
be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for
sometime in 2009.

Geography
Angola

Location:

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia
and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

12 30 S, 18 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,198 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of
which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province),
Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Coastline:

1,600 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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)

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold,
bauxite, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 2.65%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 97.12% (2005)

Irrigated land:

800 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

184 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%)
per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)

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 - interna