Angola/Geography

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 18 30 E

Map references: Africa

Area:

• total: 1,246,700 sq km
• land: 1,246,700 sq km
• water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

• total: 5,198 km
• border countries:

[Congo|Democratic Republic of the Congo]] 2,511 km (of which 220 km is the boundary of discontiguous [Cabinda Province]?), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Coastline: 1,600 km

Maritime claims:

• exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Elevation extremes:

• lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
• highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

Land use:

• arable land: 2%
• permanent crops: 0%
• permanent pastures: 23%
• forests and woodland: 43%
• other: 32% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau

Environment - current issues: overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

• party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Law of the Sea
• signed, but not ratified: Climate Change

Geography - note: Cabinda? is separated from rest of country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo