Reaching the Precipice in Angola

6 January 2026 at 00:01

This satellite image centers on the serrated edge of the Huila plateau in Angola. The sheer cliff wall forms a rough C shape and is highlighted by dark shadows and a band of green vegetation. The lowlands to the left are tan-colored arid coastal plains, and the more-temperate plateau on the right side is greener.

June 19-20, 2025

In southwestern Angola, an expanse of coastal plains comes to an abrupt end at a natural barrier. The Huíla plateau soars above the lowlands to elevations of around 2,300 meters (7,500 feet). The sharp transition results in dramatic landscapes and a sudden change from an arid environment to more-temperate climes.

The serrated edge of the Huíla plateau zigzags through this image, which is a mosaic of scenes acquired on June 19 and 20, 2025, with the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) and OLI on the Landsat 9 and Landsat 8 satellites, respectively. Areas around the plateau’s edges appear green with vegetation. But the landscape tends to look much browner by late September, at the end of the region’s dry season, during which almost no rain falls.

This topography is part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa, a 5,000-kilometer-long feature running roughly parallel to the continent’s edge. From Angola, it extends south through Namibia, across South Africa, and then northeast into Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The image below, acquired with the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite, shows a longer segment of the escarpment in Angola.

A satellite image of southwestern Angola shows light-colored coastal desert to the left and a darker plateau to the right. These are separated by a jagged boundary tinged with green, part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa. The Atlantic Ocean, mostly cloud-covered, runs along the left edge of the image.

June 20, 2025

Scientists believe the escarpment formed after the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana in the Jurassic period. Since then, erosion has worn away at the continental margin such that the escarpment now sits 50 to 200 kilometers (30 to 120 miles) back from the coast.

This Angolan section of the escarpment features dizzying, yet beautiful, landscapes. Tundavala Gap, a gouge eroded into the cliff line (below), is one of the most iconic with its well-framed view of the plains below. The precipice also presents a substantial obstacle to transportation. A stretch of the Namibe-Lubango Road overcomes this challenge with a series of scenic hairpin turns climbing to Serra da Leba pass near the town of Leba.

Sheer cliff walls on the right and left sides of this photograph make a V shape in the foreground. Some light green shrubs grow from cracks in the rock. The ground visible in the opening between the cliffs is far below.

March 11, 2014

Lubango, one of Angola’s largest cities, occupies a valley on the Huíla plateau. In addition to its remarkable natural surroundings, the city boasts a diverse mix of cultures, striking architecture, and a wide variety of locally produced foods.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey, and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). Photo of Tundavala Gap © jbdodane.com. Story by Lindsey Doermann.