Angola My Birth Place

Luanda is the capital and largest city of Angola. It is located on the Atlantic coast and it is also the main port and economic center of the country.
The habitants of Luanda are mostly members of ethnic groups especially in the Mbundu, but over the last few decades there was an increase of the bakongo and ovibundu ethnic groups.
There is a population of European origin, comprising mainly Portuguese (about 400,000 people) and an important Chinese community (67000 people).

The Angolan culture was influenced by various ethnic groups. Portugal started the occupation in the region of Luanda and later also in Benguela at the beginning of the 16TH centuries, keeping control of the region until 1975.
Because of this, both countries share many cultural aspects, such as the language and the main religion.
However, the angolan culture is mostly of bantu origin which was mixed with Portuguese culture. There are also influences from various ethnic communities with their own cultural traits, traditions and native languages or dialects including the Ovimbundu, Ambundu, Bakongo, Chokwe language and others.
Angola has a great diversity of natural resources. It is estimated that the basement has 35 of the 45 most important minerals of the world trade, including oil, diamond and natural gas. There is also large reserves of phosphate, iron, manganese, copper, gold and ornamental rocks. The major petroleum basins in expansion are located along the coast in the provinces of Cabinda and Zaire, in the North of the country. Diamond reserves in the provinces of Lunda-Notrte and Lunda-Sul are admired for its quality and considered one of the most important in the world. The art of blue mask from Angola, as the majority of African art, the wooden masks and sculptures are not purely aesthetic creations. They play an important role in cultural rituals, representing life and death, the passage from childhood to adult life, the celebration of a new harvest and the beginning of hunting season.
The craftsmen work wood, bronze and Angolan ivory, the masks or sculptures.
The Portuguese language is the official language of Angola. In addition to numerous dialects, the country has more than twenty national languages. The most speakers, after the Portuguese, speak umbundu in the Center-South region of Angola and in many urban areas. It is the mother tongue of 26% of Angolans.
The kimbundo is the third most widely spoken national language (20%). It is a language with great importance, being the language of the capital and the former n'gola Kingdom. It was this language that gave many words to the Portuguese language.
Angola stands out for various musical styles, such as: the Semba, Kizomba, the Kuduro and the afro-house. Music is very important for the people from Angola.  

Students: Eurico Tamboca e José Daniel – 9º2ª