Welcome to my new AU, the Republic of Cabinda AU!!!
![[ img ]](http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a619/Ruzzel_Suallo/RepublicofCabinda_zpsda6a9120.png~original)
![[ img ]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/Mumbai_night_water.jpg)
City of Cabinda skyline at night
The Republic of Cabinda is an oil-rich African country bordered by Zaire on the south and by Congo on the north. Formerly a Portuguese protectorate, Cabinda was first joined to the newly-independent Angola in 1975. But serious problems such as political differences and disputes over oil and money led Cabinda to wage a war of independence (1976) from Angola. Backed by it's former "mother" Portugal and by other Western Allies, Angola recognized the independence of Angola in late-1976. The war left Cabinda in shambles, but good governance, political stability, and extreme wealth from the thriving petroleum industry transformed it as an industrial and financial power with one of the highest standards of living in Africa.
Cabinda was dubbed as the "Singapore of the West", with an area of 7,823 km2 (3,020 sq mi) and a population of 12,966,207 (2014 estimate). English is the official language, although Portuguese is the most commonly used in daily conversations.
ECONOMY
An offshore oil rig near Cabinda
Petroleum was discovered in 1967 and has since financed the transformation of Cabinda from a poor, war-torn country at the time of independence to a rich one that spends vast sums on social, agricultural, and military development. The government also used petroleum profits to create the infrastructure needed to transform Cabinda into a diversified, industrial nation. In recent years, the highway network, long hampered by war damage and a minefield that the Angolans had planted in the time of war, has greatly expanded. A causeway linking Cabinda to Nigeria was opened in 1997. Air transport and port facilities have also been modernized.
Due to it's enormous petroleum reserves, Cabinda plays a pivotal role in the global oil market. Dramatic increases in oil prices at the time of independence created huge trade surpluses between 1976 and 1981. Cabinda remained a wealthy country despite of substantial declines in oil earnings in the 1980s and early 1990s. Crude oil and petroleum products account for more than 90% of all Cabinda's exports, with most going to Japan, Singapore, France, and Portugal. Other exports include timber, lumber, and processed food products. Cabinda has long provided substantial aid to many poorer African nations, although it suspended or reduced aid to countries and groups who backed Angola in their threats of invasion since 2000.
HISTORY
![[ img ]](http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/images/thumb/8/84/T34_tank_supported_by_infantry_at_the_Battle_of_Kursk.jpg/313px-T34_tank_supported_by_infantry_at_the_Battle_of_Kursk.jpg)
A Cuban supplied T-34 tank of the Angolan Army besieging rebel positions in Cabinda (1976 war).
Little is known about early Cabinda, Portuguese explorers, missionaries and traders arrived at the mouth of the Congo River in the mid-15th century, making contact with the Manikongo, the powerful King of the Congo. The Manikongo controlled much of the region through affiliation with smaller kingdoms, such as the Kingdoms of Ngoyo, Loango and Kakongo in present-day Cabinda. Sovereignty over the enclave was acquired by Portugal in 1885 by the Treaty of Simulambuco, establishing Cabinda as a protectorate under the Portuguese crown.
Following the 1975 coup in Lisbon, the new Portuguese government began to relinquish it's hold on most of it's overseas colonies. Cabinda was then joined to the newly independent Angola as it's integral territory. However, after a dispute over oil and money and increasing discontent among the Cabindans led to a brief armed struggle in early 1976. The fighting Cabindans won the sympathy of the world, including Portugal, large foreign aid to the rebels overwhelmed the Angolan forces. Political and economic pressures forced Angola to recognize the independence of Cabinda. The independent country joined the UN in 1980.
After independence, Cabinda enjoyed a period of political stability that was rare in Africa in the recent decades, this facilitated a rapid economic growth that outmatched most of the other African nations. A poor nation that depends mostly on foreign help was transformed as a wealthy country that now provides substantial aid to it's fellow African countries.
![[ img ]](http://www.tradearabia.com/source/2013/02/26/rocket.jpg)
A photo showing a rocket fired by Angolans against Cabinda.
A brief economic slowdown in the 1990s and early 2000s was facilitated by falling oil prices and increasing military expenditures. The growth spurred again after the new government began to diversify the economy to reduce dependence on falling oil revenues. Cabindan forces fought alongside the Republic of Congo during the Second Congo War, it bitterly counters every policy and actions of Angola. Angolan rocket attacks on Cabinda from the coastal city of Soyo have occurred since 2001, this has caused death of 15 people and the creation of widespread psychological trauma and disruption of daily life among the Cabindan populace. In March 2009, Cabindan forces bombed the city of Soyo and has since stopped the rocket attacks. This threats from Angola eventually led to a new Cabindan military build-up in the region.
![[ img ]](http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a619/Ruzzel_Suallo/RepublicofCabindaAirForce_zps5cee60cc.png~original)
![[ img ]](http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a619/Ruzzel_Suallo/VictoriousclassFS_zps254dd33d.png)
