Geography of Angola

Angolais located on the westernAtlanticCoast ofSouthern AfricabetweenNamibiaand theRepublic of the Congo. It also is bordered by theDemocratic Republic of the CongoandZambiato the east. The country consists of a sparsely watered and somewhat sterilecoastal plainextending inland for a distance varying from 50 to 160 km (31 to 99 mi). Slightly inland and parallel to the coast is a belt of hills and mountains and behind those a large plateau. The total land size is 1,246,700 km(481,400 sq mi). It has anExclusive Economic Zoneof 518,433 km(200,168 sq mi).
There are three regions ofrock formationsin Angola: thelittoralzone, the median zone formed by a series of hills more or less parallel with the coast, and the central plateau.
The central plateau consists of ancientcrystalline rockswithgranitesoverlain by non-fossiliferoussandstonesandconglomeratesofPaleozoicage. The outcrops are largely hidden underlaterite. The median zone is composed largely of crystalline rocks with granites and some Palaeozoic unfossiliferous rocks. Thelittoralzone contains the onlyfossiliferousstrata. These are ofTertiaryandCretaceousages, the latter rocks resting on a reddish sandstone of older date. The Cretaceous rocks of the Dombe Grande region (near Benguela) are ofAlbianage and belong to theAcanthoceras mamillarizone. The beds containingSchloenbachia inflataare referable to theGault. Rocks of Tertiary age are met with at Dombe Grande,Moçâmedesand near Luanda. The sandstones withgypsum,copperandsulfurof Dombe are doubtfully considered to be ofTriassicage. Recent eruptive rocks, mainlybasalts, form a line of hills almost bare of vegetation between Benguela andMoçâmedes. Nepheline basalts andliparitesoccur at Dombe Grande. The presence ofgum copalin considerable quantities in the superficial rocks is characteristic of certain regions.
The geology and outline of the west coast of Angola is related to the opening of South Atlantic that started in the Early Cretaceous and continued until the Eocene, which is reflected in the invertebrate and vertebrate fossil fauna.The diamond mine of Catoca preserved unexpected ancient dinosaur, mammal and crocodylomorph tracks with 128 Million years.
Coastline:1,600 km
Maritime claims:
Like the rest of tropical Africa, Angola experiences distinct, alternatingrainyanddryseasons. In the north, the rainy season may last for as long as seven months—usually from September to April, with perhaps a brief slackening in January or February. In the south, the rainy season begins later, in November, and lasts until about February. The dry season (cacimbo) is often characterized by a heavy morning mist. In general, precipitation is higher in the north, but at any latitude it is greater in the interior than along the coast and increases with altitude. Temperatures fall with distance from the equator and with altitude and tend to rise closer to the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, atSoyo, at the mouth of theCongo River, the average annual temperature is about 26 °C or 79 °F, but it is under 16 °C or 61 °F atHuamboon the temperate central plateau. The coolest months are July and August (in the middle of the dry season), when frost may sometimes form at higher altitudes.
Angola has four principal natural regions: the arid coastal lowland, stretching from Namibia toLuandaand characterized by low plains and terraces; green hills and mountains, rising inland from the coast into a great escarpment; a large area of high inland plains of drysavanna, called the high plateau (planalto), which extends eastward and south-east from the escarpment; andrain forestin the north and inCabinda.The highest point in Angola isMorro de Môco, at 2,620 m. Elevations generally range from 910 to 1,830 m (3,000 to 6,000 ft). Angola had a 2018Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 8.35/10, ranking it 23rd globally out of 172 countries.In Angolaforest coveris around 53% of the total land area, equivalent to 66,607,380 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 79,262,780 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 65,800,190 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 807,200 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 40% was reported to beprimary forest(consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 3% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership.
The coast is for the most part flat, with occasional low cliffs and bluffs of redsandstone. There is but one deep inlet of the sea –Great Fish Bay(orBaía dos Tigres). Farther north arePort Alexander,Little Fish BayandLobito Bay, while shallower bays are numerous. Lobito Bay has water sufficient to allow large ships to unload close inshore.The coastal lowland rises from the sea in a series of low terraces. This region varies in width from about 25 kilometres (16 mi) near Benguela to more than 150 kilometres (93 mi) in the Cuanza River Valley just south of Angola's capital, Luanda, and is markedly different from Angola's highland mass. The Atlantic Ocean's cold, northwardflowing Benguela Current substantially reduces precipitation along the coast, making the region relatively arid or nearly so south of Benguela (where it forms the northern extension of the Namib Desert), and quite dry even in its northern reaches. Even where, as around Luanda, the average annual rainfall may be as much as fifty centimeters, it is not uncommon for the rains to fail. Given this pattern of precipitation, the far south is marked by sand dunes, which give way to dry scrub along the middle coast. Portions of the northern coastal plain are covered by thick brush.
The approach to the great central plateau of Africa is marked by the west-central highlands, a series of irregularescarpmentsandcuestasparallel to the coast at distances ranging from 20 to 100 kilometres (12 to 62 mi) inland. The Cuanza River divides the mountain zone into two parts. The northern part rises gradually from the coastal zone to an average elevation of 500 metres (1,600 ft), with crests as high as 1,000 to 1,800 metres (3,300 to 5,900 ft). South of the Cuanza River, the hills rise sharply from the coastal lowlands and form a high escarpment, extending from a point east of Luanda and running south through Namibia.The highest peak isMount Moco(2,620 m or 8,600 ft),and the escarpment is steepest in the far south in theSerra da Chellamountain range.InBenguela Provinceother high points areLoviti(2,370 m or 7,780 ft),  in 12° 5' S., andMount Elonga(2,300 m or 7,500 ft). South of the Cuanza is the volcanic mountainCaculo-Cabaza(1,000 m or 3,300 ft).
The high plateau, with an altitude ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 m (3,900 to 5,900 ft), lies to the east of the hills and mountains and dominates Angola's terrain. The surface of the plateau is typically flat or rolling, but parts of theBenguela Plateauand theHumpata Highlandarea of theHufla Plateauin the south reach heights of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) and more. TheMalanje Plateauto the north rarely exceeds 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in height. The Benguela Plateau and the coastal area in the immediate environs ofBenguelaandLobito, theBie Plateau, the Malanje Plateau, and a small section of the Hufla Plateau near the town ofLubangohave long been among the most densely settled areas in Angola.
TheZambezi Riverand several tributaries of theCongo Riverhave their sources in Angola.A large number of rivers originate in the central uplands, but their patterns of flow are diverse and their ultimate outlets varied. A number flow in a more or less westerly course to the Atlantic Ocean, providing water for irrigation in the dry coastal strip and the potential for hydroelectric power, only some of which had been realized by 1988.Two of Angola's most important rivers, theCuanza(Kwanza) and theCunene(Kunene), take a more indirect route to the Atlantic, the Cuanza flowing north and the Cunene flowing south before turning west. The Cuanza is the only river wholly within Angola that is navigable—for nearly 200 kilometers from its mouth—by boats of commercially or militarily significant size. The Congo River, whose mouth and western end form a small portion of Angola's northern border with Zaire, is also navigable.
North of the Lunda Divide theKwangoand many other streams flow north from the tableland to join theKasai River(one of the largest affluents of the Congo), which in its upper course forms for fully 300 mi (480 km) the boundary between Angola and the Congo.South of the divide some rivers flow into the Zambezi River system and thence to the Indian Ocean, others to the Okavango River (as the Cubango River is called along the border with Namibia and in Botswana) and thence to the Okavango Swamp in Botswana. The tributaries of the Cubango River and several of the southern rivers flowing to the Atlantic are seasonal, completely dry much of the year.
Natural resources:petroleum,diamonds,ironore,phosphates,copper,feldspar,gold,bauxite,uranium
Irrigated land:860 km(330 sq mi) (2014)
Natural hazards:locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau
Current environmental issues include overuse ofpasturesand subsequentsoil erosionattributable to population pressures;desertification;deforestationof tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropicaltimberand to domestic use as fuel, resulting inloss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing towater pollutionandsiltingof rivers and dams; and inadequate supplies of potable water.
Angola is party to the following international environmental agreements: Biodiversity,Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement,Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban,Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea,Marine Dumping,Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution (MARPOL 73/78).
Due toclimate change, Angola's annual average temperature has increased by 1.4.°C since 1951, and is expected to keep rising.The interior and eastern regions are expected to heat up faster than the western coastal areas. Extremely hot days are projected to occur 2 - 4 times more often by the 2060s, while rainfall is becoming more variable.Angola is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.Natural hazards such asfloods, erosion,droughts, andepidemics(e.g.:malaria,choleraandtyphoid fever) are expected to worsen with climate change. Southern Angola has experienced several severe droughts over the last decade, resulting in food and water scarcity.Rising sea levelsalso pose a significant risk to Angola's coastal areas, where around 50% of the population lives.
In 2023 Angola emitted 174.71 million tonnes ofgreenhouse gases, around 0.32% of the world's total emissions, making it the 46th highest emitting country.In itsNationally Determined Contribution, Angola has pledged a 14% reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and an additional 10% reduction conditional on international support.According to theWorld Bank, achievingclimate resiliencein Angola requires diversifying the country's economy away from its dependence on oil.
Bothfloraandfaunaare those characteristic of the greater part of tropical Africa. As far south as Benguela the coast region is rich inoil palmsandmangroves. In the northern part of the province are dense forests. In the South towards the Kunene are regions of densethorn scrub.Rubbervines and trees are abundant, but in some districts their number has been considerably reduced by the primitive methods adopted by native collectors of rubber. The species most common are various root rubbers, notably theCarpodinus chylorrhiza. This species and other varieties of carpodinus are very widely distributed.Landolphiasare also found. Thecoffee,cottonandGuinea pepperplants are indigenous, and thetobaccoplant flourishes in several districts. Among the trees are several which yield excellent timber, such as thetacula(Pterocarpus tinctorius), which grows to an immense size, its wood being blood-red in colour, and the Angolamahogany. Thebarkof themusuemba(Albizzia coriaria) is largely used in the tanning ofleather. Themulundobears a fruit about the size of a cricket ball covered with a hard green shell and containing scarlet pips like apomegranate.
The fauna includes thelion,leopard,cheetah,elephant,giraffe,rhinoceros,hippopotamus,buffalo,zebra,kuduand many other kinds ofantelope,wild pig,ostrichandcrocodile.Angola previously served as ahabitatfor theendangeredAfrican wild dog,which is now deemed to be extinct within the entire country, stemming from human activities during the period 1965 to 1991.Among fish are thebarbel,breamandAfrican yellow fish.
The followingecoregionshave been described in Angola:
Geography – note:the province ofCabindais anexclave, separated from the rest of the country by theDemocratic Republic of the Congo
This is a list of the extreme points ofAngola, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.
Angola
Angola (mainland)