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Angola ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES
https://photius.com/countries/angola/society/angola_society_ethnic_groups_and_la~79.html
Sources: The Library of Congress Country Studies; CIA World Factbook
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    [JPEG]

    Displaced persons walk to a camp in Cuanza Sul Province.
    Courtesy Richard J. Hough

    Although Portuguese was Angola's official language, the great majority of Angolans (more than 95 percent of the total population) used languages of the Bantu family--some closely related, others remotely so--that were spoken by most Africans living south of the equator and by substantial numbers north of it.

    Angola's remaining indigenous peoples fell into two disparate categories. A small number, all in southern Angola, spoke so-called Click languages (after a variety of sounds characteristic of them) and differed physically from local African populations. These Click speakers shared characteristics, such as small stature and lighter skin color, linking them to the hunting and gathering bands of southern Africa sometimes referred to by Europeans as Bushmen. The second category consisted of mestiços, largely urban and living in western Angola. Most spoke Portuguese, although some were also acquainted with African languages, and a few may have used such a language exclusively.

    Data as of February 1989


    NOTE: The information regarding Angola on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Angola ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Angola ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.

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