Angola - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Angola. The province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.4 years (2015/16 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 222 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of 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 |
| Tarrain | narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium |
| Natural Hazards | locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau |
| Irrigated Land | 860 sq km (2014) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | Rio Zambeze (Zambezi) (shared with Zambia [s], Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Rio Cubango (Okavango) river source (shared with Namibia and Botswana [m]) - 1,600 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
| Major aquifers | Congo Basin, Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin |
| Land Boundaries | 5,369 km |
| Border Countries | Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,646 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province); Republic of the Congo 231 km; Namibia 1,427 km; Zambia 1,065 km |
| Coastline | 1,600 km |
| Climate | semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April) |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 1,246,700 sq km |
| Water Area | 0 sq km |
| comparative Area | about eight times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Moco 2,620 m |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 1,112 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 45.7% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 41.5% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 54.3% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Most people live in the western half of the country; urban areas account for the highest concentrations of people, particularly the capital of Luanda as shown in this population distribution map
People and Society
In Angola, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, Mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 3.33% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 41.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 2.9% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | |
| Total fertility rate | 5.7 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 2.81 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 13.7% (2015/16) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 55.7% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 2.4% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Angolan | Angolan(s) |
| Languages | Portuguese 71.2% (official), Umbundu 23%, Kikongo 8.2%, Kimbundu 7.8%, Chokwe 6.5%, Nhaneca 3.4%, Nganguela 3.1%, Fiote 2.4%, Kwanhama 2.3%, Muhumbi 2.1%, Luvale 1%, other 3.6% (2014 est.) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 41.1%, Protestant 38.1%, other 8.6%, none 12.3% (2014 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 46.9% (male 8,752,419/female 8,701,422) |
| 15-64 years | 50.7% (male 9,076,080/female 9,795,035) |
| 65 years and over | 2.4% (2024 est.) (male 367,559/female 509,546) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 91.5 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 86.5 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 5 |
| Potential support ratio | 20.1 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 16.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 15.8 years |
| Female | 16.8 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 68.7% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 4.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 9.292 million LUANDA (capital), 959,000 Lubango, 905,000 Cabinda, 809,000 Benguela, 783,000 Malanje (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.01 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.93 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.72 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 55.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 60.7 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 50.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 62.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 60.8 years |
| Female | 65.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 81.3% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 36.5% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 66.5% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 18.7% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 63.5% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 33.5% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 93.7% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 30.3% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 72.7% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 6.3% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 69.7% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 27.3% of population (2020 est.) |
| Major Infectious diseases | |
| Degree of risk | very high (2023) |
| Food or waterborne diseases | bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever |
| Vectorborne diseases | dengue fever, malaria |
| Water contact diseases | schistosomiasis |
| Animal contact diseases | rabies |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 5.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 3.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 1.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Child marriage | |
| Women married by age 15 | 7.9% |
| Women married by age 18 | 30.3% |
| Men married by age 18 | 6% (2016 est.) |
Demographic profile
More than two decades after the end of Angola's 27-year civil war, the country still faces a variety of socioeconomic problems, including poverty, high maternal and child mortality, and illiteracy. Despite the country's rapid post-war economic growth based on oil production, about 30 percent of Angolans live below the poverty line and unemployment is widespread, especially among the large young-adult population. Only about 70% of the population is literate, and the rate drops to around 60% for women. The youthful population - about 48% are under the age of 15 as of 2022 - is expected to continue growing rapidly with a fertility rate of more than 5 children per woman and a low rate of contraceptive use. Fewer than half of women deliver their babies with the assistance of trained health care personnel, which contributes to Angola's high maternal mortality rate.
Of the estimated 550,000 Angolans who fled their homeland during its civil war, most have returned home since 2002. In 2012, the UN assessed that conditions in Angola had been stable for several years and invoked a cessation of refugee status for Angolans. Following the cessation clause, some of those still in exile returned home voluntarily through UN repatriation programs, and others integrated into host countries.
All Important Facts about Angola
Want to know more about Angola? Check all different factbooks for Angola below.
