Angola

IPA/æŋˈɡəʊlə/
KK[æŋɡˈolə]IPA/æŋˈɡəʊlə/

Angola — noun

1. An independent republic on the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, bordered by Na

1.nounA2
Definition

An independent republic on the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, bordered by Namibia, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Luanda as its capital city.

Example

Putri read about the history of Angola in her geography textbook.

collocation: 'the history of Angola'

Jabari's cousin moved to Luanda, the capital of Angola, last year.

collocation: 'the capital of [country]'

Common collocations
  • the capital of Angola
  • the history of Angola
  • the government of Angola
  • from Angola
  • in Angola

Usage Note

The capital of Angola is Luanda, and its official language is Portuguese. Do not confuse this African country with the Angola Prison in Louisiana, USA, which shares the same name.

Common Mistakes

Angola is in Asia.
Angola is in southern Africa.
Angola is an African country on the Atlantic coast, not in Asia.
The main language in Angola is Spanish.
The main language in Angola is Portuguese.
Angola was a Portuguese colony until 1975, so Portuguese is the official language.

Word family

  • Angolan
    adjectiveB1
  • Angolan
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four are countries in southern Africa, but each is distinct. Angola sits on the Atlantic coast, bordered by Namibia to the south and Zambia to the east. Namibia lies directly south of Angola and also borders the Atlantic, but its official language is English rather than Portuguese. Zambia is landlocked, with no coastline, and English is its official language. Mozambique is on the Indian Ocean side of Africa and also uses Portuguese, but it lies on the opposite coast. Learners often confuse the four because their names share similar vowel patterns and they are clustered in the same region.

NamibiaZambiaMozambique

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Republic of Angola
  • the people of Angola
  • the government of Angola

Prepositions

Etymology

KimbunduPortugueseEnglish

The name Angola comes from the Portuguese word 'Angola', which was adapted from 'ngola' — a title used by the rulers of the Ndongo kingdom in the region before European colonisation.