In 1482, Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão arrived at the mouth of the Congo River, having established relations with the Kingdom of Kongo (which was located in parts of present day northern Angola).

[1] The Portuguese presence in Angola was consolidated from the second half of the 16th century through the establishment of alliance policies with the local kingdoms, the appointment of governors for the region and the founding of the city of São Paulo de Luanda.

In 1961, the Portuguese Colonial Wars began in Angola after revolts on coffee plantations left 50,000 Angolans dead.

On 26 June 26 1978, the Presidents of Portugal and Angola participated in a joint signing ceremony of an Agreement for General Cooperation between both countries, in Bissau.

[7] In October 2013, Angola threatened to end its special economic partnership with Portugal after high-ranking Angolan leaders became the focus of a money probe by Portuguese prosecutors.

[6] Portugal’s foreign minister promptly apologized, setting off an intercontinental debate about the changing power dynamics between the nations.

In September 2018, Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, traveled to Angola and met with Angolan President, João Lourenço, to repair and smoothen bilateral relations between both nations.