Following the Cubango–Okavango: From the Angolan Headwaters to the Terminal Basin
Most people know the Okavango through its delta in northern Botswana. That is understandable: the delta is one of the […]
ANGOLA
Location: Southern Africa
Capital: Luanda
Area: 1 246 700 km2
Population: 37 252 000
Official language: Portuguese
Other spoken languages: Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo, Chokwe, Ngangela, !Kung and more
Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu, Mbundu, Kongo, Lunda, Chokwe, Ngangela, and more
Currency: AOA (Angolan Kwanza) (1 USD = 916.37 AOA; 1 EUR = 1071.05 AOA)
Basic facts: Unitary multiparty republic.
Travel tips:
- Angola is one of the largest countries in Africa and one of the major Portuguese-speaking states on the continent.
- Most of Angola consists not of rainforest, but of plateau, savanna, and upland landscapes, especially in the interior.
- The Angolan highlands are one of the great source regions of southern Africa, feeding systems such as the Cubango–Okavango, the Zambezi basin, and rivers flowing toward the Atlantic.
- Angola combines a long Atlantic coastline with a vast interior of plateaus, escarpments, and sparsely populated eastern lowlands.
- Angola is ethnolinguistically diverse, with the Ovimbundu, Mbundu, and Kongo among the largest groups.
10 best destinations in Angola:
Luanda: The capital and largest city of Angola, the main gateway to the country.
Huambo: One of the main highland cities of Angola, important for access to the interior plateau.
Lobito: One of Angola’s main Atlantic port cities.
Benguela: A historic coastal city and one of the best bases for western Angola.
Kalandula Falls: One of the largest waterfalls in Africa.
Serra da Leba: The dramatic escarpment road of southwestern Angola, one of the country’s best-known mountain landscapes.
Tundavala Gap: A major escarpment viewpoint near Lubango, overlooking the western descent toward the coast.
Lubango: The principal city of southern Angola and a gateway to the high plateau and escarpment country.
Mount Moco: The highest peak in Angola, located near Huambo.
Cubango headwaters region: The uplands near Chicala-Choloanga, where one of southern Africa’s most important inland river systems begins.