The Huíla Plateau ( pt, Planalto da Huíla) is a large

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

and highlands region in south-central Angola. It is part of the

Great Escarpment The Great Escarpment is a major topographical feature in Africa that consists of steep slopes from the high central Southern African plateauAtlas of Southern Africa. (1984). p. 13. Reader's Digest Association, Cape Town downward in the directio ...

and forms the southernmost stretch of the Central Plateau of Angola. It is separated from the Atlantic Coast by the

Serra da Leba Serra da Leba is a mountain range in the province of Namibe, in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = ...

and

Serra da Chela The Serra da Chela is a mountain range in south-central Angola. The mountains, rising to 2,306 meters (7,566 ft) above the coastal plains, are among the highest in the country. It forms part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa, se ...

mountain ranges, extending southward to the

Namib Desert The Namib ( ; pt, Namibe) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namib ...

at Angola's border with

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. Its western edge forms the border between the Huíla and

Namibe Province Namibe Province is a Provinces of Angola, province of Angola. Under Portuguese Angola, Portuguese rule it was the Moçâmedes District. It has an area of 57,091 km2 and had a 2014 census population of 495,326. The port and city of Namibe, Mo ...

Geography

The Huíla Plateau is located in south-central

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, on the southern extremity of the

Bié Plateau The Bié Plateau or Central Plateau of Angola is a plateau that occupies most of central Angola. The elevation of the plateau is from 1,520 m to 1,824.8956 m. Several major rivers originate from the plateau such as the Cunene River, the Kuanza R ...

. Its southern edge skirts the

, and its southeastern edge runs along the Cunene Basin. Its western edge forms the natural boundary between the Huíla and

s, roughly extending from Chongorói,

Benguela Province Benguela ( umb, Luombaka Volupale) is a province of Angola, situated in the west of the country. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Namibe, Huila, and Huambo. The province has an area of and its capital is ...

, in the north, to Onkokwa, Cunene Province, in the south. This edge is characterized by deep

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

s, such as the Tundavala Gap, and is part of the

. Along this edge are the

Serra da Leba Serra da Leba is a mountain range in the province of Namibe, in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = ...

and Serra de Chela mountain ranges. Beyond this is a desert/beach region along the Atlantic Coast. The plateau is subdivided into two main plateaus: the

Humpata Humpata is a town and municipality in the province of Huíla, Angola. The municipality had a population of 89,144 in 2014. Humpata was the primary destination of the Trekboers on the Dorsland Trek in the 1870s. These Afrikaners formed the majo ...

and the Bimbe Plateaus.

Lubango Lubango, formerly known as Sá da Bandeira, is a municipality in Angola, capital of the Huíla Province, with a population of 914,456 in 2022. The city center had a population of 600,751 in 2014 making it the second-most populous city in Angola af ...

, the capital of

Huíla Province Huíla is a province of Angola. It has an area of and a population of 2,497,422 (2014 census). Lubango is the capital of the province. Basket-making is a significant industry in the province; many make baskets out of reeds. History From the Por ...

, sits atop Humpata Plateau. Besides Serra da Leba and Serra da Chela, the plateau contains several smaller mountain ranges and highland subregions. Along the southwest edge near Onkokwa, the plateau contains the Chabiva and Muvelaumo Mountain Ranges. Its highest elevation is at the Humpata Plateau and its lowest is near Onkokwa.

Geomorphology

The

geomorphology Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...

of the plateau subdivides it into three main regions: the Ancient Plateau, which comprises the main body of the highlands; the Marginal Mountain Range located on its northern boundary; and the Escarpment Zone, a transitional zone dividing the high plateau from the arid coast.

Geology

The Huíla Plateau sits atop a layer of

dolomitic Dolomite () is an anhydrous carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate, ideally The term is also used for a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of the mineral dolomite. An alternative name sometimes used for the dolomiti ...

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

called the Leba-Tchamalindi Formation, which formed during the

Paleoproterozoic The Paleoproterozoic Era (;, also spelled Palaeoproterozoic), spanning the time period from (2.5–1.6 Ga), is the first of the three sub-divisions (eras) of the Proterozoic Eon. The Paleoproterozoic is also the longest era of the Earth's ...

. The plateau was once on the shoreline, supported by the presence of

reef knoll A reef knoll is a land-based landform that comprises an immense pile of calcareous material that accumulated on a previously existing ancient sea floor. At the time of its accumulation it may have had enough structure from organisms such as sponges ...

s inside its

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

outcroppings. Over time, heavy erosion, tectonic activity, and created a

karstic Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

landscape. Today, this presents as a vast network of steep ridges, valleys, and cliffs, and subterranean caves, sinkholes, and tunnels.

Climate

The climate of the Huíla Plateau is highly variable. The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

lasts from October to April, followed by a dry season during the off months, with an average annual precipitation between . Temperatures typically average 17–18°C, with extreme highs of 35–37°C in summer and extreme lows of -2°C in winter. Inside the Tchivinguiro Depression, a valley in the Humpata Plateau, exists a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

, which receives markedly more rainfall: approximately per year.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{refend Plateaus of Angola Great Escarpment, Southern Africa Huíla Province