| FishBase | Complete | Literature | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Families | Species | Families | |||
| Marine | 617 | 164 | No | López-Abellán, L.J. and E. de Cárdenas, 1990 | ||
| Freshwater | 319 | 29 | No | Daget, J., J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde, 1984 | ||
| Total | 921 | 184 | No | |||
| Conservation | Freshwater fishes of Angola are well known from a taxonomic point of view. However, their current status is uncertain. Almost all major westward flowing rivers are now impounded near the upstream end of their coastal floodplains, with undoubtedly adverse effects. The following information is to be sought: - Existence of conservation plans; - Current major threats to species; - Future potential threats to species; - Contact(s) for further information. |
| Geography and Climate |
Angola is divided into Angola proper, which lies south of the Zaire River (6° - 17° S and 12°- 23° E) and Cabinda, a small enclave lying on the coast to the north of the Zaire River.
The major part of Angola is a central plateau, 1,000 - 1,600 m in altitude, rising in the west-central region to highlands of 2,000 - 2,500 m. There is a narrow coastal plain. The northern part of Angola is covered with rain forest.; the south is savanna merging into semi-arid desert. Cabinda is low-lying, tropical and densely forested.
In general, the north of Angola is tropical in climate, whereas the south is semiarid. The climate is largely conditioned by the cold Benguela current and gives a temperate character to the coastal regions. There are two main seasons: a cold, dry season from May to October; and a warm, wet season from November to April. During the cold period temperatures can drop to freezing on the plateau. Angola is a predominantly agricultural country with some mining in the northeastern region. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |
| Hydrography |
Lakes: There are no large lakes in Angola, but there are numerous smaller bodies of water associated with the floodplains of river systems in the south and east of the country.
Rivers, floodplains and swamps: The country is, on the whole, well watered by rivers draining the central highland plateau. Poll (1967; Ref. 11970) assigns the rivers to five main basins corresponding to zoogeographical regions. These are:
(a) the Zaire River basin, where major tributaries include the Kasai and Kwango rivers;
(b) the Zambezi River basin with the headwaters of the Zambezi and its tributaries and Lungue and Cuando rivers, with some 20,000 km² of inundatable floodplain;
(c) the Okavango River basin, with the Cuito and Cubango rivers;
(d) the northern coastal rivers, chief of which is the Cuanza River; and
(e) the Cunene River basin, including 15,000 km² of the Ovambo floodplain.
The major river channals total over 10,000 km in length, without counting small streams. Floodplains with numerous small lakes occur along the lower reaches of many of the rivers, discharging westward into the Atlantic Ocean.
Reservoirs: There are several impoundments; the largest are at Gove, on the Cunene, and Kiminha, on the Bengo. Several large reservoirs are projected for the future.
Coastal lagoons: There are a few coastal lagoons; the largest are Buraco and Chissambe lagoons. Ref. Vanden Bossche, J.-P. and G.M. Bernacsek, 1990 |