● 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 km 2sq. 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 National Park 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 Wes