People Living Near Angola's Plateaus: An Exploration

Angola is a country located on the west coast of Southern Africa, with a total land area of 1,246,700 square kilometres. It is bordered by Namibia to the south, Zambia to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north-east, the Republic of the Congo to the north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country consists of a sparsely watered and sterile coastal plain, a belt of hills and mountains, and a large plateau.

Angola has three principal natural regions: the coastal lowland, characterised by low plains and terraces; hills and mountains, rising inland from the coast into a great escarpment; and an area of high plains, called the high plateau, which extends eastward from the escarpment. The high plateau 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 the Benguela Plateau and the Humpata Highland area of the Hula Plateau in the south reach heights of 2,500 metres and more.

The Benguela Plateau and the coastal area in the immediate environs of Benguela and Lobito, the Bié Plateau, the Malanje Plateau, and a small section of the Hula Plateau near the town of Lubango have long been among the most densely settled areas in Angola.

Angola's topography

Coastal Lowland

The coastal lowland is characterised by low plains and terraces, extending inland from the Atlantic Ocean for a distance of 50 to 160 kilometres. The coast is mostly flat, with occasional low cliffs and bluffs of red sandstone. The Atlantic Ocean's cold, northward-flowing Benguela Current substantially reduces precipitation along the coast, making the region relatively arid, particularly in the south.

Hills and Mountains

Slightly inland and parallel to the coast is a belt of hills and mountains. The Cuanza River divides the zone into two parts. The northern part rises gradually from the coastal zone to an average elevation of 500 metres, with crests as high as 1,000 to 1,800 metres. 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 in this region is Mount Moco, at 2,620 metres.

High Plateau

The high plateau, or "planalto", lies to the east of the hills and mountains and dominates Angola's terrain. The surface of the plateau is typically flat or rolling, with some areas reaching heights of 2,500 metres or more. The plateau has an altitude ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 metres and is the source of many of Angola's rivers, including the Zambezi and several tributaries of the Congo River.

Angola's climate

The north of the country is the warmest and rainiest region, with the rainy season lasting from September to April, and sometimes slackening in January or February. The south is the coldest region, with temperatures falling as distance from the equator increases and with higher altitudes. The best time to travel to Angola is from July to August, avoiding the rainy season from November to April.

The coastal plain, stretching from Namibia to Luanda, is arid, with low plains and terraces. The region is relatively dry, with the Atlantic Ocean's cold, northward-flowing Benguela Current reducing precipitation. The coast is mostly flat, with occasional low cliffs and bluffs of red sandstone. The coastal lowland rises from the sea in a series of low terraces, with the width of this region varying from about 25km near Benguela to more than 150km in the Cuanza River Valley.

Inland from the coast is a belt of hills and mountains, behind which lies a large plateau. The central plateau is temperate, with the average annual temperature in Huambo being under 16°C. The coolest months in Angola are July and August, in the middle of the dry season, with frost sometimes forming at higher altitudes.

The rainy season lasts from September to May in the north and from December to March in the south. Droughts are common, especially in the south.

Angola's natural resources

Angola is a large country on the southwest coast of Africa, with a land area of 1,246,700 square kilometres. The country is divided into three principal natural regions: the coastal lowland, characterised by low plains and terraces; hills and mountains, rising inland from the coast into a great escarpment; and an area of high plains, called the high plateau (planalto), which extends eastward from the escarpment.

Angola has a diverse range of natural resources. The country is the second-largest producer of oil in Sub-Saharan Africa, with about 9 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. The oil industry and its associated activities account for 45% of the country's GDP and about 90% of its exports. Angola is also a major exporter of diamonds, with alluvial diamonds occurring widely over the northeastern quarter of the country. In addition, Angola has large reserves of iron ore, as well as other minerals such as copper, manganese, gold, phosphates, uranium, feldspar, granite, and platinum.

Agriculture is another important sector in Angola, with about two-thirds of the population relying on it directly or indirectly for their livelihoods. Angola's soils are some of the most fertile in Africa, and the country has a diverse range of agricultural products, including coffee, bananas, cassava, sugarcane, corn, cotton, and sisal. In addition, livestock is also a critical natural resource, with cattle, pigs, and goats being commonly kept.

Forests cover nearly 18.4% of Angola's land area, with the Maiombe forest in Cabinda being one of the most significant. Angola also has a rich biodiversity, with representatives of seven of Africa's nine biomes and 15 of the continent's ecoregions. The country is home to a variety of wildlife, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, and rhinoceroses.

Angola's wildlife

Angola is a biologically diverse nation, with nearly 2,000 species of flora and fauna, and 1,313 fossil species. The country is home to a variety of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, with approximately 291, 117, 278, and 983 species, respectively.

Mammals

Commonly found mammals in Angola include giant otter shrews, Congo golden moles, aardvarks, red-tailed monkeys, plains zebra, Beecroft’s flying squirrels, antelopes, and hedgehogs.

Reptiles

The reptilian population of Angola includes Fischer’s thick-toed geckos, large-scale grass lizards, and olive marsh snakes.

Amphibians

A variety of frogs, toads, and squeakers can be found in Angola.

Birds

Angola's skies see nearly 1,000 avian species every year. Common bird species in the region include common ostriches, albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, herons, egrets, flamingos, and storks. Angola also has a couple of endangered African penguin populations.

National Animal of Angola

The giant sable antelope, also known as the royal sable antelope, is the national animal or "national icon" of Angola.

Angola's people

Angola is a multicultural and multiethnic country. Its population is composed of Ovimbundu (37%), Ambundu (23-25%), Bakongo (11-13%), and 32% other ethnic groups (including Chokwe, Ovambo, Ganguela, Xindonga, and more). There are also around 2% mulattos (mixed European and African), 1.6% Chinese, and 1% European.

The Ambundu and Ovimbundu ethnic groups combined form a majority of the population, at 62%. The Ovimbundu are the largest ethnolinguistic group, speaking Umbundu and accounting for about one-fourth of the population. They inhabit the Bié Plateau, having migrated to Benguela and Lobito, and live in large numbers in Luanda. The Ambundu, who speak Kimbundu, also make up about one-fourth of the population. They dominate the capital city and are well-represented in most coastal towns. The Bakongo, who speak Kikongo, account for about one-eighth of the population and dominate in the far north, including Luanda, and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo.

The use of the Portuguese language by indigenous Angolan groups dates back hundreds of years. Beginning in the 1920s, Portuguese colonial policies sought to make Portuguese the only language spoken in Angola, but these attempts met with limited success. Portuguese is often the only language spoken in Luanda and in much of the interior, but in some areas, indigenous languages are used in daily life. Since independence, the government has recognised the major African languages, including six designated as official languages for educational instruction. However, widespread use of African languages in instruction never occurred, and Portuguese continues to be used for education, written documents, and official usage.

Angola's population is overwhelmingly Christian. About two-fifths of the population is Roman Catholic, about two-fifths is Protestant, and some one-tenth adheres to traditional beliefs or other religions. There is also a small Muslim population, largely made up of migrants from West Africa and the Middle East.

The current religious makeup of Angola has its roots in the country's history. In pre-colonial times, Angolans of various groups followed broadly similar religious traditions that revolved around venerating ancestors and worshipping territorial deities under a high god. The Portuguese introduced Christianity into the Kongo kingdom in the 15th century, and when the colony of Angola was established in 1575, they continued to spread it in the regions inland of Luanda. In the late 19th century, Protestant missionaries entered Angola and made numerous converts.

The rural population is largely concentrated in the highlands and along watercourses running off the highlands. The Bié Plateau alone contains about half the total rural population. In the north and centre of the country, people live in villages, whereas in the south, there is a tradition of dispersed settlement and transhumance in search of pastures. Angola has never been densely populated, and the export of slaves between 1500 and 1850 kept the population from growing.

During the civil war (1975-2002), it is estimated that warfare killed about half a million people, and famine and disease, exacerbated by the conflict, killed an additional half a million. However, the population growth rate remained high during this time, and Angola's birth rate is among the highest in the world. Life expectancy is among the lowest in the world, and Angola's population is predominantly young, with almost half under the age of 15 and about one-fourth between the ages of 15 and 29.

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