Iona National Park

Iona National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Imbondiero Tree, Iona National Park, Angola
Location
Nearest city	Lubango
Coordinates	16°40′S 12°20′E / 16.67°S 12.33°E / -16.67; 12.33Coordinates: 16°40′S 12°20′E / 16.67°S 12.33°E / -16.67; 12.33
Area	15,200 km2
Established	1964
Governing body	Ministeria do Ambiente, Angola

Iona National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional do Iona) is the largest national park in Angola. It is situated in the Southwestern-most part of the country, in Namibe Province. It is roughly bounded 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 wild dunes, vast plains, and rough mountains and cliffs. Annual average precipitation is approximately 18mmm. The Curoca River is intermittent but has lagoons, while the Cunene is permanent and has marshy areas at its mouth.

Iona had been proclaimed as a reserve in 1937 and upgraded to a national park in 1964. However, as is true for most Angolan national parks, the Angolan Civil War greatly disrupted the area. Illegal poaching and the destruction of infrastructure have caused considerable damage to the once rich park.

In recent years, a number of government and international projects have begun rebuilding the infrastructure of the park.

Iona is part of the northern Namib Desert, the only true desert in Southern Africa. The area, also known as the Kaokoveld Desert, has been arid for 55-80 million years may be the oldest desert in the world. 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 ecosystem off-shore. To the east, Iona rises to the base of the Great Escarpment at the Tchamaline and Cafema mountains. Iona is ounded on the north and south by the Cunene 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 through history. The coast is sometimes called Skeleton Coast after the bones of whales and seals that were seen on the beaches by sailors. The area is classified as a Hot Desert Climate, KWh in the Köppen climate classification.