Angola

[ ang-goh-luh ]
/ æŋˈgoʊ lə /

noun

a republic in SW Africa: formerly an overseas province of Portugal; gained independence Nov. 11, 1975. 481,226 sq. mi. (1,246,375 sq. km). Capital: Luanda.
Formerly Portuguese West Africa.

OTHER WORDS FROM Angola

An·go·lan, adjective, noun

British Dictionary definitions for portuguese west africa (1 of 2)

Portuguese West Africa

noun

a former name (until 1975) of Angola

British Dictionary definitions for portuguese west africa (2 of 2)

Angola
/ (æŋˈɡəʊlə) /

noun

a republic in SW Africa, on the Atlantic: includes the enclave of Cabinda, north of the River Congo; a Portuguese possession from 1575 until its independence in 1975; multiparty constitution adopted in 1991; factional violence. It consists of a narrow coastal plain with a large fertile plateau in the east. Currency: kwanza. Religion: Christian majority. Capital: Luanda. Pop: 18 565 269 (2013 est). Area: 1 246 693 sq km (481 351 sq miles)

Cultural definitions for portuguese west africa

Angola
[ (ang-goh-luh) ]

Republic in southwestern Africa on the Atlantic, bordered to the north and northeast by Democratic Republic of Congo, to the east by Zambia, and to the south by Namibia. Its capital and largest city is Luanda.

notes for Angola

After achieving independence from Portugal in 1976, Angola was the scene of a civil war between its Marxist government, supported by the Soviet Union and Cuban troops, and a rebel organization known as UNITA, which was aided by the United States and South Africa. In 1988, the United States engineered a settlement that led to the withdrawal of Cuban troops and to South African acceptance of black majority rule in neighboring Namibia.