The following is a short overview of this country's tempestuous history Angola is one of Africa's largest countries with an area of some 1,246,000 sq. There's also a large mixed-race population, mostly living in the towns.
Main exports are diamonds, crude oil, gas and derivatives.
After Nigeria, Angola is Africa's second largest oil producer but it is likely to outpace the former in coming years. Colonial times Angola experienced the earliest and most backward form of European colonialism. First contacts with the Portuguese explorers dates back to the 15th Century. A first settlement was established in Luanda in 1575. For centuries, military campaigns were conducted with the aim of capturing slaves or in the hope of discovering valuable minerals.