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Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cao in 1483, the area known as present day Angola had been ruled by two kingdoms: the Kongo Kingdom in the north, and the Ndongo Kingdom in the south. By 1700, both kingdoms were virtually nonexistent, and Portugal had its first significant colony. The centuries to follow were marked by slavery, exploitation, and internal conflict. As other African nations slowly gained their independence, Angola too struggled to overthrow their colonial rulers. Spearheaded by three nationalistic groups, the people of Angola achieved independence in 1975. Less than a year later, those same groups became warring factions in a bitter civil war. Unfortunately, centuries of plunder, displacement, warfare, and subversion have prevented Angola from realizing true economic and political independence. As UN sanctions attempt to put an end to what has been more that 25 years of civil war, Angola faces the formidable task of building a prosperous nation for the 21st century.
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