The Huíla Plateau () is a large

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), 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. ...

and highlands region in south-central Angola. It is part of the Great Escarpment and forms the southernmost stretch of the Central Plateau of Angola. It is separated from the Atlantic Coast by the Serra da Leba and Serra da Chela mountain ranges, extending southward to the

Namib Desert The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...

at Angola's border with

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. 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 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 ...

, 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 to . Several major rivers originate from the plateau such as the Cunene River, the Kwanza River, and the Kw ...

. 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 () 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 Benguela. According ...

, 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. Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...

s, such as the Tundavala Gap, and is part of the Great Escarpment. Along this edge are the Serra da Leba 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 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 a ...

, the capital of

Huíla Province Huíla is a Provinces of Angola, 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. ...

, 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 () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

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

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

called the Leba-Tchamalindi Formation, which formed during the

Paleoproterozoic The Paleoproterozoic Era (also spelled Palaeoproterozoic) is the first of the three sub-divisions ( eras) of the Proterozoic eon, and also the longest era of the Earth's geological history, spanning from (2.5–1.6 Ga). It is further sub ...

. The plateau was once on the shoreline, supported by the presence of reef knolls inside its

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

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

karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

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 Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

lasts from October to April, followed by a dry season during the off months, with an average annual precipitation from . 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

, which receives markedly more rainfall: approximately per year.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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