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Angola is the seventh largest country in Africa, covering an area greater than France and Spain put together. The geography of Angola is diverse. From the coastal plain, ranging in width from 25 kilometers in the south to 100-200 kilometers in the north, the land rises in stages towards the high inland plateau covering almost two-thirds of the country, with an average altitude of between 1,200 and 1,600 meters. Angola's two highest peaks are located in these central highlands. They are: Moco Mountain (2,620 m) and Meco Mountain (2,538 m).

Angola is bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the government and armed forces. A national unity government was installed in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost in fighting over the past quarter century. The death of insurgent leader Jonas SAVIMBI in 2002 and a subsequent cease fire with UNITA may bode well for the country.

Luanda is the capital of Angola and the biggest city. During the years of civil war the city has been badly damaged, but it is getting back on its feet again. Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, the island of what today is part of Luanda was known among the native African population as Loanda, meaning "flat land" whose inhabitants lived in small villages known as "libatas." They were ruled by a local governor who was, in turn, a subject of the King of Congo.

On February 20, 1575, carrying credentials from King D. Sebastiao, Paulo Dias de Novais landed on the island of Luanda in command of a fleet of seven ships carrying a hundred families of colonists and 400 soldiers. The following year, de Novais moved to the mainland opposite the island and established the settlement that was to become Sao Paulo de Loanda. What attracted de Novais to the area was the prospect of controlling the legendary silver mines of Cambambe. Loanda and the Sao Paulo settlement offered a sheltered port in an excellent spot very close to the river Kwanza, the route to the mines.

From 1950 onward, the city grew with astonishing rapidity. The population of the Luanda municipality soon reached 200,000, of whom 70 percent were black. Many new districts appeared and civil construction increased apace. One of Luanda's most famous landmarks, the National Bank of Angola building, was built at this time. The large pink structure overlooking the Luanda bay is a beautiful example of colonial architecture. Today, Luanda is home to some 1.5 million people. It is recovering from its years of strife. The first buildings built during the post-independence period are finally completed and are in use. Stores, restaurants, hotels and offices are multiplying and the city is returning to its former status as a major commercial hub.