From this description, Angola is not a Nephite city, since the Nephites “did take possession” of it. Sorenson notes:
Angola was already part of the greater land of Zarahemla. Why would Mormon’s forces have to “take possession” of it? The key point about the Nephite political structure has already been made several times: there was no unitary Nephite state. What we see in Mormon’s appointment and in the affair at Angola is the system of lineage leadership in the political arena. Leaders held power on the basis of the loyalty given to them by kin or “friends” who had made a commitment to ally with a powerful major lineage. Smaller units had to link themselves with others in order to survive in a dog-eat-dog world of tests of power. That had been true just before the Savior’s appearance (3 Ne. 7:2–6), and it was true again now. Each lineage tended to occupy certain areas and communities. Each was tied with others through interpersonal bonds—distant shared ancestry, trade alliances, friendship, intermarriage, shared religion, and so on—as these connections were cultivated by their leaders. Thus, combined armies would be put together according to the political weather of the moment.…
Obviously, Mormon’s father would not likely have moved to Zarahemla from his residence in the land northward unless a network of kin- and class-based relationships had paved the way. But nobody was related to everybody! Some groups would not be persuaded. At Angola, a stopping place in the Nephite flight out of central Zarahemla, Mormon’s alliance of lineage militias found the locals unenthusiastic about getting involved. The Angola residents probably felt they would sooner avoid choosing sides in a quarrel that they thought they could ride out quietly. But, of course, like it or not, they would have to provide great quantities of supplies. It is no wonder Mormon’s armies had to “take possession” of the city.
Angola’s location places it and an army between the larger body of Nephites and the Lamanite attackers. Therefore, it formed an appropriate line of defense; still the Lamanites drove the army from this fortified city.
Geography: The text contains no clues for Angola’s location. Sorenson suggests that it is in the land of David, since the Nephites are driven from David after being driven from Angola (v. 5).