Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%

Angola is a large, developing country in southern Africa. Throughout Angola there are growing signs of economic recovery.

Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra or MdG), Air and Air Defense Forces (FANA)
17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years plus time for training

U.S. Embassy Luanda
Rua Houari Boumedienne #32
Miramar, Luanda
P.O. Box 6468
Telephone: (244) 222-641-000, (244) 222-447-028, (244) 222-445-481, (244) 222-446-224;
Emergency after-hours telephone: (244) 222-641-000; (244) 923-640-154
Facsimile: (244) 222-641-259.

A passport and visa are required and must be obtained in advance. An International Certificate of Vaccination is required. Visitors should allow several weeks for the processing of their visa application. Angola does not issue airport visas. Persons arriving without visas are subject to arrest or exclusion. Travelers may also encounter delays if they do not have at least one completely blank visa page in their passports for entry stamps. As of November 1, 2007, Angola no longer requires travelers to have an exit visa. Travelers whose international immunization cards do not show inoculations against yellow fever within the past ten years may be subject to exclusion, on-the-spot vaccination, and/or heavy fines. Visitors remaining in Angola beyond their authorized visa duration are subject to fines and arrest. It is illegal to attempt to carry local currency out of Angola and persons found attempting to carry local currency out of Angola are subject to having this currency confiscated by customs officers. Current information on entry requirements may be obtained from the Embassy of Angola at 2100-2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, tel. (202) 785-1156, fax (202) 785-1258.

Airports:  232,  Airports with paved runways:  31

Luanda - 4 de Fevereiro Airport (LAD/FNLU)
Luanda Airport, Angola, CP 841, Luanda, ANGOLA
Tel: +244 (0)2 352387, +244 (0)2 330791
Fax: +244 (0)2 393626
Customs, hours:  24 hours

The security situation in Angola has improved markedly since the end of the civil war; however, Americans should still exercise caution. Although the war has ended, ground travel throughout Angola is occasionally problematic due to land mines, which were used extensively during the war. Frequent checkpoints and poor infrastructure contribute to unsafe travel on roads outside of the city of Luanda. Police and military officials are sometimes undisciplined, but their authority should not be challenged. Travel in many parts of Luanda is relatively safe by day, but car doors should be locked, windows rolled up, and packages stored out of sight. Visitors should avoid travel after dark, and no travel should be undertaken on roads outside of cities after nightfall. Crime is a serious problem throughout the country. While most violent crime occurs between Angolans, foreigners have occasionally been attacked as well.

Infant MR total: 185.36 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: TOTAL 38.62 years  (male 37.47/female 39.83)

Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Malaria, Hep A & B, Typhoid, MMR booster

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
water contact disease: schistosomiasis

Adequate medical facilities are rare except in Luanda, where there are some good private clinics that usually have a 24-hour service provided by a general practice physician and with specialists on call. Routine operations such as appendectomies can be performed.

An outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, a severe and often fatal disease, occurred in Uige province beginning in the spring of 2005; however, on November 7, 2005, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Angola and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Marburg outbreak in Angola ended.

Country Calling Code:  +244

Internet Country Code:  .ao