🇦🇴 Angola

Angola is sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer, pumping about 1.1 million barrels per day. This former Portuguese colony of 36 million people has a GDP around $75 billion, but the wealth distribution is staggering — Luanda regularly ranks among the world's most expensive cities while over half the population lives below the poverty line. The 27-year civil war ended in 2002, and the country's been rebuilding since, with Chinese-financed infrastructure projects reshaping the landscape. Portuguese is the official language, making Angola part of the Lusophone world alongside Brazil and Mozambique.

Oil accounts for about 90% of exports and over 50% of government revenue — a dangerous dependency that the government's trying to address. China is the largest trade partner and creditor, with Angola owing Beijing an estimated $20+ billion. Diamonds are the second-largest export. The kwanza has been repeatedly devalued, and inflation runs around 13-15% annually.

Angola's Tundavala Gap is a 1,000-meter cliff drop that rivals the Grand Canyon in drama but gets almost zero tourists. The country also has one of the youngest populations in the world — median age is just 15.6 years. Luanda was once ranked the most expensive city for expatriates, beating Tokyo and Zurich.

Angola's trying to diversify away from oil, but progress is glacial. The demographic bulge could be a dividend or a disaster — it depends entirely on whether the government can create jobs fast enough.