* Until the late 1900's Portugal used the area as a "slave pool" for its far more lucrative colony in Brazil and to benefit from the occasional discovery of precious gemstones and metals.

* Angola suffered from one of the most backward forms of colonialist rule.

* As Portugal was herself, in European terms, undeveloped, she lacked both the economic and industrial stability and the inclination to develop her African colonies.

* There were fewer than 10,000 whites in the colony in 1900. Due to the coffee boom after World War 2 the white population had grown to around 80,000.

* After World War 2 spontaneous clashes became frequent between various African communities and colonial administration due to African resistance to colonial rule.

* In February and March 1961 serious confrontations were directed at mestizo and European plantation owners.

* In the jails in Luanda political prisoners were detained.

* The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) sympathisers organised all protests and joined with the Union of the Populations of Northern Angola (UPNA), this than became part of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA).

* 1964 a team of Southerners broke away to form the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) in protest at what they saw as the monopolisation of the liberation movement by the north.

* Soon after the 1961 uprising all three groups took to guerrilla warfare as a result of the vicious military and political campaign created by the colonial authorities.

* 1974 the armed forces overthrew the Fascist regime in Portugal. Talks began for Angolian independence

* 1975 Angola was granted independence from Portugal.

* A government was established in Angola made up of the three main nationalist groups and Portuguese representative. This government broke down, as a consequence the country slid into civil war.

* On one side were the regular troops from Zaire who supported the FNLA, on the other side were the regular South African forces who supported Unita.

* An airlift took place to evacuate many of the white population to countries such as Portugal.

* By early 1976 the MPLA supported by Cuban troops and a variety of African troops, were successful in seizing control of the bulk of Angola.

* Ever since, due to interference by other countries social dislocation has occurred on a vast scale causing the neglect and abandonment of agricultural land and the abandonment of the rail system and the country's roads.

* Presently considerable parts of the south are not under government control.

* Once independent, the new Angola quickly became a show-case for superpower rivalry, with many armed encounters.

* Cuban and Portuguese advisers and voluntary workers have since aided Angola to restablish herself.
 
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