118/119 Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Assessment for Angola

The country is divided into 18 provinces, and its population is estimated at 16 to 18million, concentrated in urban areas such as Luanda, Huambo, Lubango, and Benguelaand in the central plateau region. The bulk of the country supports population densitiesless than 10 inhabitants per km 2 . This population distribution is a result of the protractedconflict, during which the agricultural sector collapsed and massive movements ofpeople from rural areas to urban centers turned Angola into one of the most urbanizedcountries in Africa.Angola’s climate is varied, due to the country’s extension, topographic variability, andthe north-flowing Benguela current. Annual rainfall in the southwestern corner is lessthan 100 mm, while in the northeast and some highland areas it exceeds 1,500 mm.Angola ranges in altitude from sea- level to more than 2,500 m. The country harbors avariety of soil types, but most of its surface is dominated by infertile, coarse-texturedArenosols and highly weathered Ferralsols. More fertile Luvisols occur in regeneratedrain and cloud forest areas once used for shade-coffee cultivation. The climatic,topographic, and edaphic variability interact to generate considerable ecologicaldiversity. Angola is considered one of the most biodiverse countries in Africa.Hydrologically, Angola is crucially important to southern Africa and the Congo basin.Seven of its nine watersheds, including the Cunene, Cuando, Cubango, Zaire, andZambezi, are shared by neighboring countries. The country’s densely populated “centralplateau,” where the Kwanza, Cunene, and Okavango rivers originate, is perhaps themost important landform in Southern Africa from a hydrologic viewpoint.Updated quantitative information on Angola’s vegetation cover is lacking. Estimates forforested land range from 19 percent to 53 percent. This wide range owes itself todifferent definition of “forests” and the lack of current information about the country’svegetation cover. Nonetheless, it can be stated with a reasonable degree of certainty thatmiombo woodland is the predominant vegetation, covering more than 50 percent of thecountry. True rainforests, where the bulk of the country’s terrestrial biodiversity reside,occupy less than 2 percent of the country’s surface. Savannahs and miombo cover morethan 80 percent of Angola’s surface.Angola’s economy is experiencing extraordinary growth. In 2006 its gross domesticproduct (GDP) grew by 18.6 percent. Projections for 2007 range from 27 percent tomore than 30 percent. This unusual economic performance and the building boom itfuels have yet to have a significant impact on poverty reduction: 68 percent of Angolanslive below the poverty level, 28 percent of them in extreme poverty. Unemployment inurban areas is almost 50 percent. The country occupies position 161 on the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index, one of thelowest in the world.Oil and gas constitute 60 percent of Angola’s GDP. Hydrocarbons account for 90percent of the country’s exports. Diamonds contribute 9 percent to the country’s GDP.Extractive industries are the backbone of Angola’s economy. Oil and diamondproduction are expected to grow exponentially over the coming years.x118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA