11 November: Angola Independence Day

It's Angola Independence Day. Here are ten things you might not know about Angola:

1. Angola was the last country to gain independence from Portugal, on November 11, 1975.
2. Being a former Portuguese colony means Angola's capital city, Luanda, is the world's third most populous Portuguese-speaking city, beaten only by São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; and the most populous Portuguese-speaking capital city in the world, ahead of Brasília, Maputo and even Lisbon. Known as the ”Paris of Africa”, it is also one of the most expensive cities in the world, where apartments can cost £8,000+ per month to rent.
3. Angola's currency is the kwanza. It is illegal to bring kwanzas out of the country (although one source said that since 2012, it's okay but I'm not sure I'd risk it!). It's also illegal in Angola to take photographs of government buildings.
4. Angola is the only country on the African continent whose territory includes an enclave. It's called Cabinda, previously known as Portuguese Congo. It is separated from the rest of Angola by a narrow strip of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
5. The country gets its name from the title of kings in the region, "ngola".
6. Angola is the world's twenty-third largest country. Its area is 1,246,620 km2 (481,321 sq mi), which is about the size of Mali, twice the size of France or twice the size of Texas.
7. The Flag was adopted during a time when Angola had a Marxist government, which is why the symbol on it resembles the hammer and sickle of the former Soviet Union. The symbol on the Angolan flag is a crossed cog wheel (representing workers and industry) and a machete (representing the peasantry, agricultural production and the armed struggle) with a gold star, on a Red and Black background.
8. Angola is the only place in the world where you can find the giant sable antelope, which was thought to have gone extinct, until they were rediscovered in Angola.
9. Angola’s national tree is the Imbondeiro or “Boabob”. According to legend, God planted this tree upside down.
10. Angola’s traditional Music is the semba, also known as the music of the sea. the Brazilian samba is said to have directly derived from semba.