Angola, more than three times the size of California, extends for more than 1,000 mi (1,609 km) along the South Atlantic in southwest Africa. Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%.
Angola is the third-largest trading partner of the United States in sub-Saharan Africa, largely because of its petroleum exports. Angolan military forces have been posted along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, in anticipation of possible unrest related to post DRC election tensions in August and September 2006.
Angola's narrow coastal plain, where most of the people live, rises to a high interior plateau with rain forests in the north and dry savanna in the south. Angola has substantial mineral resources and hydroelectric power. Angola's new investment law provides equal access to incentives to both foreign and domestic investors, with foreign investors benefiting from incentives for high priority sectors including energy, manufacturing, water and agriculture.
Angola, like all other countries and territories eligible for Canadian development assistance, can benefit from various programs. Angola, which remains one of the poorest countries in the world, has seen its next elections delayed until 2008. The original inhabitants of Angola are thought to have been Khoisan speakers. A supplier of crude oil to the US and China, Angola denies allegations that revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement.
Modern Angola derives its name from the king of Ndongo. Oil production remains largely offshore and has few linkages with other sectors of the economy, though a local content initiative promulgated by the Angolan Government is pressuring oil companies to source from local businesses. The Angolan commercial code, financial sector law, and telecommunications law all require substantial revision. Although the war has ended, ground travel throughout Angola can be problematic due to land mines, which were used extensively during the war.
Embassy in Luanda has prohibited its employees from using TAAG, Angolas national airline, for domestic or international flights due to concerns regarding safety and maintenance. Persons violating Angolan laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. The insignia of the Republic of Angola shall be formed by a segmentof a cogwheel and sheaves of maize, coffee and cotton, representing respectivelythe workers and industrial production, the peasants and agricultural production.
Many Angolans assume that government officials are the greatest beneficiaries of the country's wealth. The modern development of Angola began only after World War II.
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