Angola

Geography

Angola

Area

land

1,246,700 sq km

water

0 sq km

total

1,246,700 sq km

Climate

The southern region and coastal areas near Luanda experience a semiarid climate; the northern part endures a cool, dry period from May to October, followed by a hot, rainy season from November to April.

Terrain

A narrow coastal strip ascends sharply to a vast plateau in the interior.

Land use

other

11.5% (2023 est.)

forest

51.6% (2023 est.)

agricultural land

36.9% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 4.3% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 32.4% (2023 est.)

Location

Located in Southern Africa, it lies adjacent to the South Atlantic Ocean, positioned between Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Coastline

1,600 km

Elevation

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point

Moco 2,620 m

mean elevation

1,112 m

Irrigated land

860 sq km (2014)

Major aquifers

Includes the Congo Basin, as well as the Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin.

Map references

Africa

Land boundaries

total

5,369 km

border countries

The border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo measures 2,646 km (with 225 km representing the boundary of the disconnected Cabinda Province); it shares 231 km with the Republic of the Congo; 1,427 km with Namibia; and 1,065 km with Zambia.

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Natural hazards

Localized intense rainfall can lead to occasional flooding in the plateau regions.

Geography - note

Cabinda province is an exclave, isolated from the main territory of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Natural resources

Natural resources include petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, and uranium.

Area - comparative

Its area is approximately eight times larger than Georgia and slightly less than twice that of Texas.

Geographic coordinates

12 30 S, 18 30 E

Population distribution

A majority of the population resides in the western half of the nation; urban centers, especially the capital Luanda, have the highest population densities.

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage

Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage

Congo (3,730,881 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage

Okavango Basin (863,866 sq km)

Major rivers (by length in km)

The Zambezi River (Rio Zambeze), which is shared with Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, extends for 2,740 km; the source of the Okavango River (Rio Cubango), also shared with Namibia and Botswana, measures 1,600 km.

note: [s] indicates river source after the country name; [m] indicates river mouth after the country name.