Angola is one of the main oil producers of Africa . This southern African country struggles to advance despite the hard physical, political and social legacy of a civil war that devastated the country for 27 years. Join us to know 50 Curiosities about Angola that maybe you did not know until now and discover a territory that hides places of great beauty.
Angola currently has almost 29.5 million inhabitants and its official name is the Republic of Angola. It is the seventh country by size of the African continete and in it you can find from untamed beaches on the Atlantic coast, to desert areas or exuberant National Parks.
50 Curiosities about Angola
1. The first Europeans who arrived in Angola were the Portuguese. In 1484, the explorer Diodo Cao arrived on its shores.
2. The Portuguese created colonies on the coast of Angola and the natives fought on several occasions over the centuries against the invader. One of the curiosities about Angola is among his national heroes, it is a woman, the Queen Nzinga of the kingdom of Ndongo, of which we already spoke to you in Supercurioso and that was said to kill his lovers after a night of love.
3. In the area dominated by Portugal there was slave trade for centuries, and although slavery was abolished in the 1880s, in the interior of the country that execrable practice continued even during the twentieth century.
4. On November 11, 1975, Angola became an independent country. But the clashes between the various groups in the country had already begun, giving rise to the so-called "Angolan War".
5. The names of the natives of Angola are Angolan and Angolan, however in Cuba , which had a close relationship with that country during the Angola War , they were called Angolan and Angolan and R.A.E. accept also this variant of the name.
6. During the Angolan War, between 1975 and 1991, about 450,000 Cubans, including combatants and civilian collaborators, were in Angola.
3. One of the curiosities about Angola related to its population is that the majority of the inhabitants of Angola come from towns of Bantu origin.
7. The Bantus of Angola are divided into 9 groups with ethnolinguistic differences: the quicongo, quimbundu, lunda-quioco, mbundo, ganguela, nhanheca-humbe, ambó, herero and xindonga. These groups are subdivided into smaller branches which is what is known as tribes.
8. One of the curiosities about Angola It is the origin of his name. It derives from the word Kimbundu "N'gola" which means "king".
10. One of the curiosities about Angola that you will surely be interested to know is that it is the second largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa.
11. It is also the second diamond producer in the region.
12. However, despite the fact that its economy has grown at a very high rate since the 1990s, the conditions in which the majority of the population lives are among the worst in the world.
13. The cause of population poverty is similar to the case of Equatorial Guinea : wealth is in the hands of a very small percentage of Angolans.
14. In addition to poverty, the most pressing problems in the country are high infant and maternal mortality and illiteracy.
15. Less than 30% of Angola's rural population has access to drinking water.
16. The currency of the country is the Angolan Kwanza.
17. Another of the curiosities about Angola is that a small part of the country is separated from the rest. The Province of Cabinda is in the middle of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
18. The Ruacana waterfalls on the Angolan-Namibia border were one of the country's attractions before they built a dam further up that left them virtually without water most of the year.
19. In addition to large rivers such as Zaire, Kwanza, Kunene, Kubango, Zambezi or Kuando, the country has a large number of smaller rivers, many of which only carry water at certain times of the year.
20. Another of the curiosities about Angola It's your climate. This is characterized by having two very marked seasons, the rainy and the dry, but not in the whole country they are produced with the same duration and intensity.
21. In Angola live the giant saber antelope that was thought to be extinct. It is one of the national badges and you can see it on the emblem of the Angolan airline, on stamps and even on the money.
22. The Angola War It lasted 27 years. It began after the independence of Portugal in 1975 and subjected the country to a very hard and bloody Civil War until 2002.
23. One of the consequences of Angola War it has been the shortage of men, so it is not unusual for a man to have several wives, although not officially, since polygamy is not recognized by law. It is expected that in the next generations this situation will be reversed and this gender inequality will be balanced.
24. The Flag of Angola It is red, black and gold. The red part symbolizes the blood of the Angolans killed in combat, the black represents the people of Angola and the gold forms the drawing of a cogwheel by industry, a machete by the peasantry and a star taken from the old flag of the U.S.S.S.
25. In addition to the flag , another of the curiosities about Angola and its symbols is that the country has as a symbol a tree: the imbodeiro or baobab . It grows throughout the country and is reflected in numerous local works of art.
26. The capital of Angola is Luanda .
27. Luanda is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and has about 6.5 million inhabitants. The Portuguese founded it in 1575.
28. The capital of Angola It is one of the most expensive cities in the world if you expect to live in the Western style, which contrasts with the poverty prevailing in the country. It is known as "the Paris of Africa".
29. Visitors usually go to the famous seafood restaurants and visit the magnificent and almost deserted beaches of the island of Mussulo (actually a peninsula with three small islands) that lies just off the coast of Luanda.
30. Another important city in Angola is Benguela. It is considered to be the cultural capital of the country and has numerous colonial buildings as well as impressive beaches and cliffs.
31. The language of Angola It is officially Portuguese, although the tribes speak many other languages such as Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo and Tchokwe.
32. The angolan food It consists of basic ingredients such as beans, corn flour with which they make funge and pirao, rice, vegetables (okra, tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes ...), fish and pork and chicken. The Angolan cuisine is influenced by the Portuguese due to the centuries it was a Portuguese colony.
33. Another of the curiosities about Angola to have in mind if you visit the country is that, if in an Angolan house you are offered the last serving of a dish, it is considered good manners to refuse it 3 or 4 times before accepting it.
34. One of the typical dishes of the angolan food It is the "cabidela". The cooking is done with a blood base and served with rice and funge. The meat is usually chicken.
35. One of the Angolan drinks is the "corn beer" and another the "palm wine".
36. The Angola culture It is very varied due to the diverse origins of the population, although due to the war it has been greatly diminished.
37. One of the cultural curiosities of Angola is the Semba. The Semba is the traditional music of Angola and apparently is the origin of the Brazilian samba. They are very similar.
38. Another of the curiosities about Angola are the hairstyles. The style "dreadlocks" or rastas was born in the country. It is the traditional way of combing women in the Mwila and Mucubal tribes. They braid the hair and then use ocher colored mud, dried manure, herbs, butter and oil to hold the hair forming patterns with the dreadlocks.
39. In some traditional communities it is a sign of respect not to look directly into the eyes while a conversation is held with elderly or preeminent people.
40. If you travel to Angola you have to take into account that the natives of the country are not aware of personal space as we have it in most countries of the world. When you are in a conversation you may think that they are too close, but if you go back, you may consider it an offense.
41. Another of the curiosities about angola , is that in some ancestral tribes it is customary for men to eat separately from women and children.
41. The dialectical capacity is a feature that Angolans value in both men and women.
42. The Miss Universe 2011 edition was won by a beautiful Angolan: Leila Lopes.
43. In Angola, funerals are very important because the popular belief is that if the deceased does not have it properly, he will persecute his family members since his soul will not reach peace.
44. The national holiday of Angola is celebrated on November 11, the day in which in 1975 it became an independent country.
45. Oral literature is important in many Angolan communities that transmit their ancestral knowledge.
46. Another of the curiosities about Angola The drawings or graphics about sand called "sona" are related to oral literature. The "sona" are a tradition of the Tchokwe people that live in the northeast of the country. Accompany the stories of fables, proverbs, riddles, games, etc. and they are an important part of the transmission of knowledge between generations.
47. Among the native flora of the country stands out a species of trees called Moringa Ovalifolia, whose soft trunk is capable of storing large quantities of water.
48. Football and basketball are the sports most followed by the population.
49. About 8,000 Khoisans or as they are now known as "Bushmen", the first settlers in the sub-Saharan African area where Angola is still living in the south of the country.
50. To finish these curiosities about Angola we want to introduce you to one of the endemic birds of the country that has a curious appearance and name: the crestirojo turaco.
Other curiosities of Africa | By countries
Have you been surprised by these curiosities about Angola , a country whose capital is one of the most expensive in the world and yet only 30% of its rural population has access to drinking water? If you are fascinated by African countries you may want to know more curiosities of Africa ? Then, explore the following list with the most amazing information of the African continent distributed by countries. Expand your knowledge and let yourself be surprised!
- Curiosities of Egypt
- Curiosities of Kenya
- Curiosities of Morocco
- Curiosities of Madagascar
- Curiosities of Mali
- Curiosities of Cape Verde
- Curiosities of Equatorial Guinea
Did you know these curiosities about Angola ? Have you been surprised to learn that 8,000 Bushmen live there or that it is the second largest producer of diamonds in the region? We have been passionate about discovering them! If you know some curious data of Angola that we have not mentioned, share it with us and we can expand the list!
Images: ImperatoM , Paulo César Santos , David Stanley , Adriao , Isewell , DickDaniels ,