Republic of Angola: A Country in Southern Africa

Angola
Introduction
A state is nothing without its population, its territory, a government, and independence. However, these all pertain to aspects that are within itself. A state is much more than that. Especially concerning the rises and falls, the state beats to the drum of also its brothers and sisters across seas. These lead the way to the origin and developmental stories of the state that continues to write itself as each year passes.
It is important to study this as it is important to study people, their personal histories, struggles, triumphs, and even plans. In order to better understand one's world of meaning, effort must be put into making oneself knowledgeable about not only the hard facts but the subjective side as well.
Angola, an overview
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country in Southern Africa (Baynes, 1878). It is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Angola lies on the west coast of Southern Africa and is bayed by the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area more than 1,200,000 square kilometers. The country is divided into eighteen provinces, its capital being the city of Luanda ("Angola", 2017).
Its population stands at 20,172,332, taken from Angola's 2014 national census. It ranks 59th in the world. People from Angola are called Angolan(s). They house several ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, and others 22%. As a result, the languages spoken are also as diverse: Portuguese 71.2% (official), Umbundu 23%, Kikongo 8.2%, Kimbundu 7.8%, Chokwe 6.5%, Nhaneca 3.4%, Nganguela 3.1%, Fiote 2.4%, Kwanhama 2.3%, Muhumbi 2.1%, Luvale 1%, and other 3.6%. The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism at 41.1%, next is Protestantism at 38.1%, others at 8.6%, and those who have none are at 12.3% ("The World Factbook: Angola", 2017).
It has been more than a decade since the civil war yet the country still faces a lot of socioeconomic problems, including high poverty, high maternal and child mortality, and illiteracy ("The World Factbook: Angola", 2017). Unemployment is still rampant.
In 2012, the UN assessed that conditions in Angola had been stable for several years and invoked a cessation of refugee status for Angolans. Following the cessation clause, some of those still in exile returned home voluntarily through UN repatriation programs, and others integrated into host countries. As of August 2014, about 73,000 Angolans were still living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, and other countries (Henson, 2008).
Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections ("Angola", 2017), but fighting picked up again in 1993. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - during the more than a quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and cemented the MPLA's ...