Angola

The wealth of the African country of Angola gushes from the earth. Only Nigeria produces more oil on the continent than Angola. The economy experienced booming years with a double-digit growth spurt. It was the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cao who sailed across the Congo estuary in 1482, tying Angola to its European homeland for over half a millennium. A cornerstone of economic development was once the trade in slaves. Today, the country has a multitude of ethnic and linguistic groups - the majority of the inhabitants profess to belong to the Bantu tribes. Many animal species are endangered in the rainforests - especially elephants and rhinos.