The first Portuguese explorers reached Angola in the 15th century. Opposition to the Portuguese presence was relatively muted until the 1950s – when it did emerge, however, the divisions between the liberation movements laid the foundations for the civil war, which has consumed Angola for most of the past four decades. Although decolonisation was put into effect in November 1975, cold-war politics contributed to this becoming Africa's longest civil war, with an estimated cost of 500,000 lives.

Both sides exploited their control of parts of Angola's vast natural resources – oil, in the case of the government, and diamond mines, in the case of UNITA – to finance their campaigns. The government side, wearied by the years of fighting, drifted under the leadership of ailing president Dos Santos into inertia and corruption. The biggest losers, inevitably, were the people of Angola, most of whom were reduced to subsistence agriculture or a marginal urban existence.

A ceasefire was finally achieved in 2002, paving the way for a final political settlement and the people and government of Angola celebrated their first year of continuous peace for more than a quarter of a century, in April 2003. Although there is still some sporadic fighting, notably between government forces and separatist groups in the oil-rich Cabinda enclave, most of the country has now embarked upon the monumental task of reconstruction.

However, unless on essential business, it is still advised not to travel to Angola and visitors should contact their local government travel advice department. It is advised that visitors travel under the auspices of a sponsoring organisation, especially those journeying beyond Luanda. Even those solely visiting Luanda should be aware that Luanda suffers from a high level of street crime. A large proportion of the civil population is armed. Foreign travellers are still advised not to visit the Uige Province (due to an outbreak of the highly contagious Marburg virus), North and South Lunda Provinces (there has been police activity to expel illegal diamond miners) and the interior of the Cabinda Province (there has been an active separatist movement).