Click here to see enlarged version of map

The Republic of Angola, population 13 million, is roughly twice the size of Texas (481,400 sq. mi.) and is located on the western coast of southern Africa.  It is bordered by Namibia, Zambia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean.  Its capital, Luanda, is also the largest city in the country with a population of four million.

The United States established formal diplomatic relations with the Government of Angola in 1993. Before 1989, U.S.-Angolan relations were defined by the Cold War. The United States initially supported Holden Roberto's FNLA and later Jonas Savimbi's UNITA against the pro-Soviet and pro-Cuban MPLA government in Luanda. Angola changed from a one-party Marxist-Leninist system ruled by the MPLA to a nominal multiparty democracy led by MPLA’s Jose dos Santos following the 1992 elections.  Few opportunities exist for opposition parties to challenge MPLA dominance.

Angola has a fast-growing economy largely due to a major oil boom, but it also ranks in the bottom 10 of most socioeconomic indicators. Aside from the oil sector and diamonds, it is recovering from 27 years of nearly continuous warfare, corruption, and economic mismanagement. Despite abundant natural resources and rising per capita GDP, Angola was ranked 160 out of 177 countries on the UNDP’s Human Development Index. Subsistence agriculture sustains one-third of the population.  Angola is the second-largest trading partner of the United States in sub-Saharan Africa, largely because of its petroleum exports. U.S. exports to Angola primarily consist of industrial goods and services--such as oilfield equipment, mining equipment, chemicals, aircraft, and food. On December 30, 2003, President Bush approved the designation of Angola as eligible for tariff preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

For more information on this or other trade and investment matters please contact us at:

Mitchell Ferguson, Chief, Political/Economic Section, email: Fergusonml@N0SPAM.state.gov ,  Mark Schall, Economic Officer, E-mail: schallMD@N0SPAM.state.gov ,

Mr. Luis Fernandes, Economic Specialist, email: LuisF@N0SPAM.state.gov , Rua Houari Boumedienne #32 Luanda, Angola, C.P. 6468, Tel: (244) (222) 64 1287, 64 1000, 64 1083, 64 1254, Fax: (244) (222) 64 1232, 64 1230, 64 1259 http://luanda.usembassy.gov

Support can also be provided by the U.S. Commercial Service South Africa. Please contact Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) Craig Allen via e-mail at Craig.Allen@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov or telephone at +27 11 778 4813 for additional information or other opportunities in Southern Africa