Happy Birthday to Angola!
Angolan woman with children. *Photo from Wikipedia November 11 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Angola from Portugal in 1975. What is now the modern country of Angola was influenced by Portuguese colonization, which began with, and was for centuries limited to, coastal settlements and trading posts established beginning in the 16th century. In the 19th century, European settlers slowly and hesitantly began to establish themselves in the interior. As a Portuguese colony, Angola did not encompass its present borders until the early 20th century, following resistance by groups. Independence was achieved in 1975 under a Marxist-Leninist one party