Country Summary
This page presents high-level information for Angola's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter). Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Angola's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.
Angola, the second largest country on the African Continent with a population of over 32.8 million people (2020), is located on the western coast of Africa in the Southern Hemisphere. The oil sector comprises the largest economic sector, accounting for more than one-third of the gross domestic product (GDP) and over 90% of exports (2020). The rural sector (farming, fisheries, and forestry) is the second largest contributor to Angola’s GDP at 9.4% (2020). Around 85% of Angolans are employed by the agriculture sector, which is primarily in the form of subsistence farming. The country’s development efforts have been significantly hindered by war, creating a state where a substantial portion of the population is still without adequate access to food, potable water, sanitation, education, healthcare, electricity, and other basic services. Natural hazards in the form of flooding, erosion, droughts, and epidemics impede development as well, and are expected to become worse as the climate changes. Additionally, sea level rise poses a major threat to its coastal population, where it is estimated that 50% of Angolans reside.
The main climate change forum for Angola is the National Committee on Climate Change and Biodiversity, which was created in 2012 under the Minister of Environment. The Committee has a number of responsibilities that include: harmonizing programs and policies and creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of a National Climate Change Plan. It has also begun to integrate climate change into broad national strategies through a 2013-2017 National Development Plan that was drafted within the framework of the new Constitution of Angola.