Angola

Luanda serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Angola, positioned in Middle Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Huambo, Lubango, Benguela — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Luanda built one of Africa's most expensive skylines on oil money, its Marginal waterfront lined with glass towers that overlook Atlantic fishing villages where families still cure fish in the traditional Mbali style — a city of extreme contrasts compressed into a few city blocks.

With a population of approximately 34.5M, Angola is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Portuguese, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Angola is reached via the dialling code +244. Angolans carry the deep imprint of 27 years of civil war that ended in 2002 — a resilience expressed through kuduro music, a frantic dance genre born in Luanda's musseques (shanty towns) that became an international sensation without ever losing its local working-class roots.

Angola spans 1,246,700 km², in the Middle Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 12.5°S, 18.5°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.

The official currency is the Angolan kwanza (Kz), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Angola's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

Football holds a special place in the heart of Angola's national identity. Football is the dominant passion, but Angola's basketball programme has produced NBA players and continental championships, while the traditional Engolo martial art — practised by the Ngangela people — is widely considered the African ancestor of Brazilian capoeira.

The highest point in Angola is Moco, rising to 2,620 metres above sea level. The Tundavala Gap near Lubango is a dramatic escarpment dropping 1,000 metres from Angola's central plateau to the coastal plains below, while the remote Cuando Cubango province protects one of Africa's last intact elephant migration corridors straddling the Botswana border.