Angola
At , Angola is the world's twenty-third largest country - comparable in size to Mali, or twice the size of France or of Texas. It lies mostly between latitudes 4° and 18°S, and longitudes 12° and 24°E.
Coffee production in Angola
Plantation and production of coffee contributed largely to the economy of Angola's northwestern area, including the Uíge Province. Coffee production was started by the Portuguese in the 1830s and soon became a cash crop; the popular crop grown on approximately 2000 Angolan plantations, owned mostly by the Portuguese, was robusta coffee. In the 1970s, Angola was one of the largest coffee-producing countries in Africa. However, the civil war for independence from the Portuguese rule devastated the coffee plantations and many coffee agronomists migrated to Brazil, with the coffee plants grown on plantations becoming wild bushes. Rehabilitation of the plantations has been ongoing since 2000, but the investment required to replace the 40-year-old unproductive plants are estimated to be US$230 million. With the opening up of new roads, industrial activity in the province is taking shape.