year England was conquered by the
French forces ofWilliam, duke of Normandy,
during what is known as the
Norman Conquest.
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England Norman Conquest
Buddhist monks walk toward the main
temple building at Angkor Wat.
A rare gold coin shows an
Anglo-Saxon king.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Anglo-Saxon 121
Angola
The country of Angola lies on the southwestern
coast of Africa. After about 500
years as a colony of Portugal, Angola
suffered decades of civil war beginning
in 1975. The capital and largest city is
Luanda.
Geography
Angola is bordered by Congo, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Zambia, and Namibia. The Atlantic
Ocean lies to the west. The small oilrich
area of Cabinda is separated from
the rest of Angola by a strip of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A plateau, or raised land, covers the eastern
two thirds of Angola. Mountains
separate the plateau from the coast.
Lowlands lie along the coast and near
the Congo River.
Angola has a warm, tropical climate,
with a rainy season that lasts from October
to mid-May. The southwest is dry,
while the northeast is humid.
Plants and Animals
Rain forests once covered Angola, but
loggers and farmers cut down many of
the trees. Angola now has many savannas,
or grasslands with scattered trees.
Civil war and hunting have endangered
many animals, including African
elephants, black rhinoceroses, giant sable
antelopes, and Angolan giraffes. Angola
also has leopards, lions, hyenas,
elephants, hippopotamuses, zebras, and
buffalo. Many birds and a wide variety
of reptiles, including crocodiles, live
there, too.
People
Bantu peoples make up most of Angolas
population. The two largest groups are
the Ovimbundu and the Mbundu.
Groups of San live in the southeast. Portuguese
is the official language. How-
Houses with thatched roofs line a hillside in
Angola.
122 Angola BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ever, the people speak such local Bantu
languages as Umbundu, Kimbundu, and
others. Traditional religions have largely
given way to Christianity. A majority of
the Christians are Roman Catholics.
Economy
Angolas economy is based on its natural
resources of petroleum (oil), natural gas,
and diamonds. Agriculture, fishing, and
manufacturing play smaller roles in the
economy. Farmers raise cassava, corn,
sugarcane, sweet potatoes, bananas,
cattle, and goats. Manufacturers make
food products, beer, shoes, and fabric.
History
Ancient peoples in what is now Angola
practiced ironworking and agriculture.
Eventually Bantu peoples set up a number
of kingdoms. The most powerful of
these was the Kongo kingdom around
the Congo River. It was founded in the
1300s.
Portuguese explorers arrived in 1483.
The Kongo kingdom traded ivory, hides,
and slaves for European firearms. By the
early 1600s Portugal was exporting
5,000 to 10,000 slaves from Luanda
every year, especially to Brazil. Portugal
slowly expanded its control of Angola.
Some Angolan leaders fought the Portuguese,
but others worked with them.
Portugal continued the slave trade in
Angola until the mid-1800s.
In 1961 Angolans took up arms against
Portugal, and violent fighting lasted for
14 years. The two main independence
groups were the Popular Movement for
the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and
the National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola (UNITA).
Cuban troops and Soviet arms
supported the MPLA, while South
Africa and the United States provided
aid to UNITA.
Angola won independence in 1975. The
MPLA gained control of the government.
UNITA challenged its power,
however, and fighting broke out. A devastating
civil war lasted until the leader
of UNITA died in 2002. After that, the
MPLA had firm control of Angola. The
country slowly rebuilt from the war.
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Africa Luanda Portugal Slavery
Masks from Angola are on display at a
museum. Facts About
ANGOLA
Population
(2008 estimate)
12,531,000
Area
481,354 sq mi
(1,246,700 sq
km)
Capital
Luanda
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Luanda, Huambo,
Lobito, Benguela,
Namibe
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Angola 123
Animal
Animals are living things. Like plants,
animals need food and water to live.
Unlike plants, which make their own
food, animals feed themselves by eating
plants or other animals. Animals can
also sense what goes on around them.
Their bodies allow them to move in
reaction to their surroundings. They use
their senses and movement to find food,
mates, and safety.
Millions of different kinds of animals
live on Earth. Animals are found
throughout the world, from the freezing
polar zones to the hottest deserts. They
live on land and in the water. They
come in a huge variety of shapes and
sizes.
Scientists divide animals into two main
groups. Animals that have a backbone
are called vertebrates. Animals that do
not have a backbone are called invertebrates.
About 95 percent of all animals
are invertebrates.
Invertebrates
Some invertebrates have a soft, unprotected
bodyfor example, sponges,
jellyfish, and worms. Most soft-bodied
invertebrates have no legs. Many live in
water, but some worms live on land.
Other invertebrates have a covering to
protect their body. Animals called
echinodermsfor example, starfish and
sea urchinshave tough skin covered in
stiff points. These animals all live in
oceans. Many mollusks, including oysters
and snails, have a hard shell around
124 Animal BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
their soft body. Some mollusks live on
land, but many live in water.
Invertebrates with jointed legs are called
arthropods. They have a hard covering
called an exoskeleton. Insects, spiders,
crustaceans, and centipedes are all
arthropods. Arthropods live on land and
in water all over the world.
Vertebrates
Fish are the oldest known vertebrates.
They live in water and are often covered
in scales. Most fish have a bony skeleton.
However, sharks and rays have a
skeleton made of cartilage, a strong and
flexible tissue.
Animals that live part of their life on
land and part of their life in water are
called amphibians. Frogs and salamanders
are examples of amphibians.
Most young amphibians live in water
and breathe with gills. As they grow they
form lungs and legs and move onto
land.
The first vertebrates to live completely
on land were reptilesfor example, lizards,
snakes, and crocodiles. Reptiles
have dry, scaly skin. Some reptiles, such
as turtles, spend a lot of time in water,
but they breathe air.
Vertebrates that have wings and feathers
are called birds. Most, but not all, birds
can fly.
Vertebrates that feed their babies with
milk from the mother are called mammals.
Mammals include mice, deer,
seals, whales, monkeys, and humans.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Animal 125
Mammals live on land in all parts of the
world. A few types, such as whales, live
in the ocean but still must breathe air.
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