Angola, Africa’s top oil producer, is flush with money. Yet wealth remains concentrated in the hands of a very few, leaving the bulk of the population in poverty.

As the world’s largest democracy goes to the polls, this Backgrounder looks at the laws, major players, and issues, including economic reform, caste, and religion, that have shaped India’s politics.

India not only faces evolving threats from Kashmiri militants, but also an increasingly violent Maoist insurgency.