Facts about Angola

Here are some interesting facts about Angola for kids which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Facts about Angola: Epupa Falls, Muhacaona people, Luanda

Angola Facts for Kids

Population: about 35 million people (2023)
Capital city: Luanda with about 10 million people
Name: Republic of Angola
Nickname: "Land of Kings" referring to the traditional African kingdoms

Angola Flag

Government: presidential republic
Languages: Portuguese (also the official language), Umbundu, Kikongo and Kimbundu
Literacy: 71% of all over 15 years of age can read and write
Religion: mainly Christians (80%) of these 41% are Roman Catholics
Currency: 1 kwanza (KZR) = 100 lwei

Listen to the Anthem

National Animal: lion
National Colours: black, red, green and white
National Day: 11 November (Independence Day)
National Anthem: "Angola Avante" (Angola Onwards)
Motto: virtus unitas fortior (Virtus is stronger when united)
History: Angola was already settled about 25,000 BCE. San people lived in the region before other Bantu people moved into the area. Angola housed some of the largest African kingdoms and for many years the country was referred to as the Kongo Kingdom which was the largest kingdom in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Portuguese explored and colonised the region and founded the colony of Luanda in 1575. In 1914, the Portuguese abolished the Kongo kingdom and Angola became a colony of Portugal. Angola became independent from Portugal only in 1975. After independence a 27-year-long civil war raged in the country until 2002.
President: João Lourenço (second term, head of government since 2017)

Facts about Angola | Angola Geography

Angola is a large country located in southwestern Africa and borders the Atlantic Ocean. The country lies south of the Equator.

Angola borders four countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is to the North, Zambia is to the East and South and Namibia to the South and the South Atlantic Ocean lies to the West of the country.

Angola also has an exclave called Cabinda within the Republic of Congo. The longest border is shared with the DRC over 867km/ 539 miles. Angola has an Atlantic Ocean coastline that is 1650 km/ 1,025 miles long.

topographical map

Angola is the seventh largest country on the African continent and the second largest country south of the Sahara - after the DRC - which is about double the size of Angola!

The country is slightly smaller than Peru and about double as the size of France. Angola is also slightly less than double the size of Texas/ USA.

Miraduoro da Lua - Viewpoint of the Moon

Angola's name comes from the word 'ngola' of the local language which referred to the title of the local Ndongo king. The Ndongo kingdom was one of the largest kingdoms in the region.

The coastal lowlands with low cliffs made of red sandstone lead over rolling hills and mountains in the northern escarpment and steeper mountains in the South to high plains and the interior highlands. The high plateau dominates the Angolan topography. There is rainforest in the North and in the exclave Cabinda.

Facts about Angola
Geography Superlatives

The longest river in Angola is the Kwanza River which is about 960 km/ 597 miles long. This is the only river of Angola that is navigable throughout the country.
The largest city in Angola is the capital city Luanda. Luanda is also the oldest city in the country.

Luanda - capital city of Angola

The largest lake in Angola is Lago Dilolo near Cameia National Park is a birder’s paradise.
Angola's highest mountain is Mount Moca with 2,620 m/ 8,595 ft. The mountain is located in western Central Angola.
The Kalandula waterfalls are the largest waterfalls in Angola.

Kalandula waterfalls

Iona National Park is the largest national park of Angola. The park is known for its unique rock formations as well its rich wildlife, which albeit much poaching has affected the biodiversity.

Facts about Angola | Climate

Angola has a tropical climate along the coast and a temperate climate on the plateau and highlands. The coldest months are July and August.

The Benguela current off the Angolan coast is a cool current thus the climate along the coast is mild and similar to the coastal climate in Peru or Mexico's Baja California.

Attractions in Angola
Facts about Angola

Black rocks - Pungo Adongo

Christ the King Statue of Angola

Cunene river landscape

Lake Arco unique rock formations

Fortaleza de São Miguel in Luanda

Luanda's Memorial of the Unknown Soldiers - image by ssacala

Beach on Mussulo island near Luanda

Atlantic beach in Angola

Facts about Angola for Kids Wildlife and Animals

The national animals is the Giant sable antelope. This is the largest of the antelope species and is only found in Angola.

The sable antelope sadly is a critically endangered species.

There is rich wildlife in Angola. Although the biodiversity has suffered due to the many years of war and illegal poaching, there are still almost 300 species of mammals and over 980 species of birds. Common birds are herons, flamingoes, ostriches and even albatrosses.

The Big Five animals, the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo and elephant all can be found in Angola.

Wildlife in Angola

The Angolan Colobus monkey, a black monkey with black face and white long hair around the face, and the Angolan genet, a cat-like mammal, both are rare sights but are species that only live in Southern Africa.

More Facts about Angola
Angolan People

Most Angolans live in the western part of the country, where there are also the largest urban centres. The biggest cities are Luanda, Lubango, Cabinda, Benguela and Malanje.

Angola is the second youngest country in Africa, with almost half its people being under 14 years old!

Angola has the second highest birth rate in the world and the third lowest average age of the population with not even 16 years! Compare this to Brazil where the average is 33 years, in the USA it is 38.5 years, in the UK it is 40.6 years and in Germany 47.8 years!

Children in Angola - image by Fabian Plock

There are nine main Bantu tribes and some few San people in Angola. Most of the Angolan people belong to the Ovimbundu and Kimbundu ethnic groups, which include together about 62% of the population. The Bakongo people are the third largest ethnic group.

The Mucawana, also called Mucahaona people, are traditionally nomadic people that live in Southern Angola close to the Namibian border where they live with Himba people. They are known for their elaborate hairstyles and jewellery.

mucawana girl by Eric Lafforgue atlasofhumanity

Mucawana girl - image by Eric Lafforgue/ atlasofhumanity

Angola has the second highest birth rate in the world - after Niger. Almost half of the population (48%) are children under 14 years of age.

After Niger and Uganda, Angola has the lowest average age of the population with not even 16 years! Compared to Brazil: 33 years, USA 38.5 years, UK 40.6 years, Germany 47.8 years!

There are about 100 ethnic groups in Angola, all with different languages and different customs.

Most of the Angolans are Christians (80%). The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, called São Salvador, in M'banza Congo is considered the oldest colonial church in Southern Africa.

Church ruins in M'banza

However, the church has been abandoned for many years. The church ruins from the 15th century are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Angola was once ruled by kingdoms. The 'land of the kings' is still home to several kings from the Ndongo kingdom, the Kongo kingdom, the Mbalundu, the Assante or the Mbunda kingdom.

Facts about Angola | Economy

Angola is the second strongest economy in Southern Africa - after South Africa.

Income from Oil and Gas account for more than half of the country's national income. Angola is Africa's strongest oil leader and among the world's most important oil and gas producers.

Angola oil platform off the coast

Crude oil is Angola's biggest export product. Diamonds and iron ore are also important resources.

Although officially only 10% of all Angolans work in the agricultural sector, however subsistence farming is common in rural areas. Over 80% of the Angolan farms are small or medium sized.

The main agricultural produce are: cassava, rice, coffee, beans as well as bananas, citrus fruits, pineapples, mango and avocado.

The main trading partners of Angola are China, India and Portugal.

Facts about Angola | Food in Angola

Angolan staple foods include cassava, corn, millet, sorghum as well as beans, okra, vegetables and fruit.

Fresh fish and seafood is abundant in coastal regions of Kenya. The dishes on the eastern coastline are influenced mainly by Arabic and Indian cooking styles.

Moamba de galinha is commonly considered as the national dish of Angola.

Moamba de galinha

Typical food in Angola:

Muamba de galinha: The traditional Angolan meal is a hearty stew made with chicken, palm oil and palm paste, okra, a variety of of vegetable and chilli peppers. This dish is mostly served with funge or rice.

Funge: Traditional porridge made with cassava flour, millet or sorghum accompanies most meals
Pirão: Savoury stew made with chicken or fish or both is a common meal in Angolan households.

Cocada amarela: sweet pudding made with shredded coconut, egg yolks and sugar - and very different to the Brazilian dessert with the same name
Feijão com óleo de palma: beans and garlic cooked in palm oil is a common side dish

We hope you enjoyed our Facts about Angola. We will add more info about this stunning country soon. Now enjoy our other pages with facts about other African countries...

Popular Pages

Africa Facts

Resources
Facts about Angola

Central Intelligence Agency. "Kenya". The World Factbook. Updated 29 November 2022. Last accessed 20 February 2023
Angola Embassy Serbia. "Geography". AngolaEmbassy. Last accessed 20 February 2023
SAHO. "Angola." South African History Online. Last accessed 20 February 2023
Welcome to Angola. "Provinces." TechAfrica. Last accessed 20 February 2023
"Traditional Kings of Angola." The African Royal Families. Last accessed 20 February 2023
Eric Lafforgue. "Angola Mucawana" Atlas of Humanity. Last accessed 20 February 2023