16 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 65, Supplement II 
12°E 16^E 20°E 24^E 
Figure 5. Annual mean temperatures of Angola (after Hijmans et al. 2005). 
Huntley (1974) recognized five main biomes in Angola. The Guinea-Forest Biome is an ever¬ 
green and semi-deciduous rainforest restricted to the interior of Cabinda (Maiombe Forest) and in 
discontinuous patches of forest in Zaire, Uige, Kwanza Norte, and Kwanza Sul provinces. The 
Congo Savanna Biome occurs in the north and is an area of tall grasslands interspersed by gallery 
forests in the valleys and isolated forests patches on the plateau, mostly occurring in the Congo 
River basin in Zaire, Uige, Malanje and Lunda Norte provinces. The Montane Forest Biome is rep¬ 
resented in Angola by a few isolated patches of forests on the protected slopes and deep ravines in 
the mountains of Huambo, Benguela, and Huila districts, at the highest elevations in the country, 
generally 2000-2500 meters, including Mount Moco. The Brachystegia Biome is dominated by 
Brachystegia (Miombo) woodlands, but is quite diverse across its 750,000 km^ extent on the cen¬ 
tral plateau of Angola. The South-West Arid Biome contains the most arid parts of Angola with 
extended dry seasons and mostly deciduous plants extending from coastal Luanda to Namibe 
