Angola is a very large country on the South West coast of Africa. It is twice the size of France or Texas. As with many other countries in the region Angola has large mineral and petroleum deposits and is their most valuable economic resource. Due to this it has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Despite this much of the population has a very low standard of living and the life expectancy is just 50 years.
There is a large rural population. In the North people mostly live in villages however, in the South, there is a more nomadic existence due to cattle herding. Subsistence farming is common with the main plant grown being cassava. Large farming for exportation is increasing with cotton, coffee and sugar regaining popularity after the civil war. The main trial when expanding farming areas are the land mines that are left from this civil war, they are littered haphazardly throughout the countryside. Along the coastline fishing is very rich with a cold water current encouraging crab, lobster, mackerel and many more into the area.
Angola is unusual in that it has a province that is separate from the main territory. This area is called Cabinda and is separated by a 60 km stretch of the DRC.
The Angolan culture has been influenced by Portuguese colonialism and this influence can still be seen today. This is especially noticeable by the amount of the population that speak Portuguese. Many of the ethnic groups have their own rituals and traditions that still remain to this day. These have been kept alive through oral histories, music and dance. There is a yearly 'National Festival of Angolan Culture' that runs from August to September which celebrates the diverse cultures within their communities.
The Angolan national basketball team is the best in Africa and regularly competes in the Olympic Games and World Cup. As to be expected, football also plays a large part in the sporting culture of the country. It has also been hypothesised that Angola could have been the start of the martial art of Capoeira.