Angola is a large country which covers some 1 246 700 square kilometres, somewhat larger than the Republic of South Africa, and about as large as France, Spain, and the United kingdom put together. After Zaire, Angola is the largest state in Africa south of the Sahara. It is located between the fourth and eighteenth latitudes south, therefore completely within the tropics, and between the eleventh and thirtieth longitudes east. The country is divided into 16 districts, of which one, Cabinda, forms a completely separate enclave north on the Congo river estuary.
Because it is located in the tropics, the climate of Angola is warm. Because of the size of the country, the differences in altitude as well as the cold Benguela current, there are significant temperature fluctuations. And the decline in humidity from north to south must also be taken into account. Over the largest part of the highlands the humidity is quite low, which causes a relatively pleasant climate.
 Angola is considered a relatively unpopulated country. In 1960 the population were counted at 4 840 719, of which 95.3 percent were black, 3.6 percent white and 1.1 percent coloured (mulato). The population density was on average four people per square kilometre. In the same period in South Africa it was fourteen per square kilometre. The distribution was very uneven. Because of climatological differences it was as low as one person per square kilometre in some areas and in others as much as eighteen!
By 1970 the population had grown to 5 673 000 (4.54 people per square kilometre), and by 1977 it was estimated to be close to seven million. Although immigration showed a strong increase in the decade since 1960, and the white population estimated to be about half a million in 1973 (some sources seem to think that's too high), the ratio of black to white was not majorly impacted on at that stage. There were no accurate population count immediately after independence, though. According to René Péllissier about 90 percent of the white population left the country and about 150 000 were killed during the stormy happenings. On the other side, an unknown number of refugees returned from neighbouring states. (Africa South of the Sahara, 1977-78, p. 132.)
Seen from north to south, the following ethnic-linguistic groups are found in Angola: Bakongo, Mbundu, Ovimbundu, Lunda-Chokwe, Nganguela, Nyaneka-Humbe, Herero and Ovambo.
The Kikongo-speaking Bakongo (about 700 000) lives in Cabinda and the area just south of the lower branch of the Congo river, in the districts of Zaïre and Uige. A large part of this nation also lives in the neighbouring Republic of Congo and there is a continual movement across the borders in both directions.
South of the Bakongo, that is, spread across the districts of Luanda, northern Cuanza Norte. northern Malanje and western Lunda, lived the Kibundu-speaking Mbundu, Mbaka, Ndongo, Mbondo, Dembo and others, a total of 1 054 000. Collectively all these Kibundu-speaking tribes are known as Mbundu, but it actually belongs to a separate tribe.
Further south lives the largest ethnical group, the Ovimbundu, about 1 746 000. They comprise of over twenty separate tribes which uses Umbundu as a common language. they live on the central highlands stretching from Benguela inland.
East of the Mbundu and Ovimbundu and bordering on Katanga, lives the Lunda-Chokwe (about 400 000 in total). They are thinly spread out over the district of Lunda and parts of Malanje, Bié, Moxico and Cuando-Cubango.
The Nganguela, from an Ovimbundu word more or less meaning "other people", comprises of a few related tribes living mainly in the districts of Moxico, Bié, and Cuando-Cubango. They (about 330 000) were apparently the earliest occupants of Angola, but were oppressed and enslaved by the Ovimbundu and also the Chokwe which started a southwards penetration, splitting their living area in two.
The Nyaneka (140 000) and the Humbe (115 000) are two related tribes which live in the north-western parts of the Hula district on the Humpata highland and the valley of the Upper-Cunene.
A small part of the Herero tribe (25 000), related to the Herero of South-West Africa (now Namibia), but without any political affiliation, have been living for almost 300 years in the dry south-western corner of Angola. They are mainly cattle farmers.
The 115 000 strong Ovambo members of the Ambo language group comprises of different tribes. They live mainly in the dry steppes-type area east of the Cunene. They are cattle farmers although they also practice some agriculture on a small scale in the valleys of the river. They were used to always being able to freely move across the border of South-West Africa to their fellow tribesmen.
Very thinly spread over the south of Angola, will we find the 20 000 members of the Khoisan-speaking Hottentots and Bushmen which survives mainly on hunting and the fruits of the field. Many of them are not pure-bred any more and show a mixture of Bantu-blood. (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Macromedia, Vol I. based on the 1970 Census.)
Translated from “Angola Operasie Savannah 1975-1976” by Professor F.J. du T. Spies, published by the SADF (Directorate Public Relations), 1989 |