In 1993 the U.S. and other foreign powers officially ended their support of the warring factions. The peace was short-lived however and even today skirmishes and gunfire are still a part of life in Angola. Portuguese is the official language of Angola, with tribal Bantu languages spoken frequently at home and in less formal settings. As you can imagine, Angola's economy has suffered great setbacks with all the warring and unrest. In the early 1990's famine conditions were present in Angola simply because the fighting disrupted agricultural production.
Coffee is the leading crop exported by Angola.
Subsistent crops include cassava, sugarcane, bananas and corn. Timber is also a source of revenue, as is fishing, primarily for sardines and mackerel. Angola is also rich in minerals including petroleum, gem quality diamonds, salt and natural gas. Iron ore is present, but has not been mined since 1975 when the mines were partially destroyed during the civil war. Angola has great hydroelectric potential and facilities to produce hydroelectricity have been built.