Gabela is a town, with a population of 116,903 (2014), and a commune, named Gabela Sede, in the municipality of

Amboim Porto Amboim is a port town in Cuanza Sul Province, Angola with a population of 65,000; it comprises an area of 4,638 km. In the past Porto Amboim was connected by an isolated 123 km narrow gauge railway to Gabela, albeit closed in 198 ...

, province of Cuanza Sul,

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

and the seat of that municipality. The area of the commune comprises 459 km² with a population of 184,723. It was founded as ''N'Guebela'' on September 28, 1907. Around the town, some areas of the

Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands The Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands is an ecoregion located on the coast of Angola, an area with a variety of habitats and rich in wildlife including many endemic birds and animals. Geography This ecoregion consists of the strip of land that ...

with its unique plants and animals are still to be found. The Gabela akalat (''Sheppardia gabela''), a species of bird, was first recorded here by scientists and subsequently named after the town, as were the Gabela helmet-shrike (''Prionops gabela'') and Gabela bush-shrike (''Laniarius amboimensis''); these

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

are only found in the uplands near Gabela.

Mining and transport

Gabela used to have a mine with a narrow gauge railway to

Porto Amboim Porto Amboim is a port town in Cuanza Sul Province, Angola with a population of 65,000; it comprises an area of 4,638 km. In the past Porto Amboim was connected by an isolated 123 km narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gaug ...

References

Populated places in Cuanza Sul Province Communes in Cuanza Sul Province {{Angola-geo-stub