Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Iona National Park
Iona National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional do Iona) is the largest and oldest national park in Angola. It is situated in the Southwestern corner of the country, in Namibe Province. It is roughly bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the West, an escarpment to the East that marks the beginning of the interior plateau, the Curoca River to the North, and the Cunene River to the South. It is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of the city of Namibe and covers 5,850 square miles (15,200 km2) sq. miles.
The topography of Iona is characterised by shifting dunes, vast plains, and rough mountains and cliffs. Rainfall varies from about 100 mm on the coast to 300 mm or more on the eastern border. The Curoca River is intermittent but has lagoons, while the Cunene is permanent and has marshy areas at its mouth.
Iona was proclaimed as a reserve in 1937 and upgraded to a national park in 1964. It is the oldest protected area in Angola. However, as is true for most Angolan parks, the Angolan Civil War greatly disrupted the area. Poaching and the destruction of infrastructure caused considerable damage to the once rich park.
Starting around 2009, a number of government and international projects have worked on rebuilding the infrastructure of the park, which will hopefully invite tourists back. Tourism can provide tangible economic value to surrounding communities, giving them a reason to protect the park. However, a study published in 2019 reported that while the local population recognized the benefits of the park, they were concerned for their historical and current use of the land. A major use is for pasturing livestock and grazing.
African Parks began co-managing the park in 2020. The five pillars of the park are "tourism, community, inspection, conservation and infrastructure". In 2024, there were 135 employees.
Iona is in the northern Namib Desert, the only true desert in Southern Africa. The area, also known as the Kaokoveld Desert, is considered one of the oldest deserts in the world at 55-80 million years old. It faces the Atlantic Ocean for 180 kilometres (110 mi) on the edge of the Benguela Current, a cold up-welling from the depths of the Atlantic that creates a rich offshore ecosystem. To the east, Iona rises to the base of the Great Escarpment at the Tchamaline and Cafema mountains.
Iona is bound on the north and south by the Kunene and Curoca Rivers, respectively. The climate is noteworthy for the heavy fogs created as the cold, wet air of the Benguela up-welling meets the hot, dry air of the desert. The strong fogs and currents have led to numerous shipwrecks throughout history. The coast is sometimes called Skeleton Coast after these shipwrecks as well as the numerous skeletons of whales and seals found on the beaches. The area is classified as a Hot Desert Climate, BWh in the Köppen climate classification.
The park is contiguous with the Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia, which is itself contiguous with the Namib-Naukluft National Park so that all three protected areas form a continuous block covering some 50,000 km2 of Namib Desert coastline and adjacent dunes.
Hub AI
Iona National Park AI simulator
(@Iona National Park_simulator)
Iona National Park
Iona National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional do Iona) is the largest and oldest national park in Angola. It is situated in the Southwestern corner of the country, in Namibe Province. It is roughly bound by the Atlantic Ocean to the West, an escarpment to the East that marks the beginning of the interior plateau, the Curoca River to the North, and the Cunene River to the South. It is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of the city of Namibe and covers 5,850 square miles (15,200 km2) sq. miles.
The topography of Iona is characterised by shifting dunes, vast plains, and rough mountains and cliffs. Rainfall varies from about 100 mm on the coast to 300 mm or more on the eastern border. The Curoca River is intermittent but has lagoons, while the Cunene is permanent and has marshy areas at its mouth.
Iona was proclaimed as a reserve in 1937 and upgraded to a national park in 1964. It is the oldest protected area in Angola. However, as is true for most Angolan parks, the Angolan Civil War greatly disrupted the area. Poaching and the destruction of infrastructure caused considerable damage to the once rich park.
Starting around 2009, a number of government and international projects have worked on rebuilding the infrastructure of the park, which will hopefully invite tourists back. Tourism can provide tangible economic value to surrounding communities, giving them a reason to protect the park. However, a study published in 2019 reported that while the local population recognized the benefits of the park, they were concerned for their historical and current use of the land. A major use is for pasturing livestock and grazing.
African Parks began co-managing the park in 2020. The five pillars of the park are "tourism, community, inspection, conservation and infrastructure". In 2024, there were 135 employees.
Iona is in the northern Namib Desert, the only true desert in Southern Africa. The area, also known as the Kaokoveld Desert, is considered one of the oldest deserts in the world at 55-80 million years old. It faces the Atlantic Ocean for 180 kilometres (110 mi) on the edge of the Benguela Current, a cold up-welling from the depths of the Atlantic that creates a rich offshore ecosystem. To the east, Iona rises to the base of the Great Escarpment at the Tchamaline and Cafema mountains.
Iona is bound on the north and south by the Kunene and Curoca Rivers, respectively. The climate is noteworthy for the heavy fogs created as the cold, wet air of the Benguela up-welling meets the hot, dry air of the desert. The strong fogs and currents have led to numerous shipwrecks throughout history. The coast is sometimes called Skeleton Coast after these shipwrecks as well as the numerous skeletons of whales and seals found on the beaches. The area is classified as a Hot Desert Climate, BWh in the Köppen climate classification.
The park is contiguous with the Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia, which is itself contiguous with the Namib-Naukluft National Park so that all three protected areas form a continuous block covering some 50,000 km2 of Namib Desert coastline and adjacent dunes.