Fun Facts About Angola - From Basketball to History!

Foreign Relations

Did you know- Present-day Angola has an independent foreign policy since the 1990s. Currently, the modern state of Angola maintains close diplomatic relations with the United States of America. It has also excellent ties with Brazil and the People's Republic of China. In December 2008, the country's ruler Jose Eduardo dos Santos, a Soviet-trained-engineer, arrived in Beijing, China's capital, for an official visit. During Cold War, in the 1970s and early 1980s, it had had rocky relationship with the White House. During that time, Luanda forged strong links with the Soviet Union (modern-day Russia), Cuba, Bulgaria and the German Democratic Republic (now Germany). Due to its anti-American policy, the Angolan rule, along with other pro-Soviet states, boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, CA.

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Tourism

Did you know- This land has important scope for exploiting its potential in fishing, and eco-tourism. There are several virgin beaches -unknown in the world-- with spectacular landscapes and a favorable climate.

Geography

Did you know- This former Portuguese colony is Africa's seventh-largest country, after Sudan, Algeria, Libya and other countries. Otherwise, the African nation of Angola shares borders with Namibia (former South African territory) and Zambia (ex British dependency), as well as Congo ( ex French territory), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire).It is one of the most diverse nations on the Planet, from tropical jungles, and savannahs to mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and deserts.

Economics

Did you know- Thanks to oil exports, between 1994 and 2004, the country boasted one of the world's fastest-growing economies, ahead of several Asian and Latin American nations.

Modern History

Did you know- Like many Portuguese colonies on the African mainland, the modern country of Angola, once the seat of an ancient kingdom, gained its national independence in the mid-1970s. Then, in the succeeding years, it, with Soviet/Cuban backing, became a Marxist republic in the Third World, alongside states like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (also known as North Korea), Laos, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Benin (former Dahomey). In the subsequent decade, Angola, under the rule of Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, the country's ruler since 1979, abandoned Marxism-Leninism, along with Benin, Ethiopia, and Sao Tome & Principe.

Language

Did you know- The Portuguese is the official language, but Angola, a vast nation with a host of ethnic groups, has a large non-Portuguese speaking population.

Ruacana Falls

Did you know- The country is home to the Ruacana Falls, one of Africa's natural wonders. It is Southern Africa's fourth-largest waterfalls

Famous Visitors

Did you know- Pope Benedict XVI visited the country in March 2009; the first visit from a Vatican leader to Africa since 2000 when John Paul II went to Mount Sinai, Egypt. By the early 1990s, Pope John Paul II travelled to Angola

Luanda

Did you know- Luanda, one of sub-Saharan Africa's most important cities, is the national capital of the country.

Angola & Miss World

Did you know- At the 2007 Miss World in Sanya (China), the country's representative Micaela Patricia Reis achieved the highest-ever finish for an Angolan beauty queen, first runner-up. Miss Reis had been hand-picked by an international panel of judges. Since the late 1990s, the African nation of Angola has competed in 11 Miss World contests.

Basketball

Did you know- Astonishingly,Angola, a former war-torn nation (from 1976 to 1992), has competed, without foreign coaches, in five FIBA World Cups (Spain'86, Argentina'90, Canada'94, USA'02, and Japan'06). In addition, the Angolan men's basketball team will be one of the 24 squads present at the 2010 FIBA World Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. By 1986, in the World Championships, the Angolan team, which had beat Australia (one of the world's top ten basketball teams) in the previous round, placed 20th. By the early 2000s, it finished 11th in the global tournament in Indianapolis (USA), ahead of China, Venezuela and Canada. On the other hand, the nation has competed in five Olympic tournaments (Barcelona'92, Atlanta'96, Sydney'00, Athens'04 and Beijing '08). At the XXV Summer Games in Spain, Angola defeated the People's Republic of China 79-69.

Awards/ gold medals (1983-2009)

1983: Regional Tournament, Cairo (Egypt) - silver medal

1985: African Tournament, Abidjan (Ivory Coast) - silver medal

1987: Continental Tournament, Tunis (Tunisia)- bronze medal

1987: All- Africa Games, Nairobi (Kenya) - champions

1989: Continental Tournament, Luanda (Angola) - winners

1992: African Cup, Cairo (Egypt)- gold medal

1993: Continental Tournament, Nairobi (Kenya) -gold medal

1995: Continental Tournament- Algiers (Algeria) -gold medal

1997: African Cup, Dakar (Senegal)-bronze medal

1997: All- Africa Games, Harare (Zimbabwe) - champions

1999: Regional Tournament, Luanda (Angola)- winners

1999: All- Africa Games, Johannesburg (South Africa)- champions

2001: African Tournament, Rabat (Morocco) -winners

2003: Regional Tournament, Cairo (Egypt)- champions

2003: All- Africa Games, Abuja (Nigeria) - champions

2005: Regional Tournament, Algiers (Algeria) - winners

2007: Continental Tournament, Luanda (Angola) - winners

2007: All- Africa Games, Algiers (Algeria) - champions

2009: African Cup, Tripoli (Libya) - gold medal

Fun Facts About Angola - From Basketball to History!

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans".

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