Transport in Angola

Transport in Angola comprises:

Railways

There are three separate railway lines in Angola:

• Luanda Railway (northern)
• Benguela Railway (central)
• Moçâmedes Railway (southern)

Highways

• total: 52,429 km

country comparison to the world: 79

• paved: 5,349 km
• unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)

Travel on highways outside of towns and cities in Angola (and in some cases within) is often not best advised for those without four-by-four vehicles. Whilst a reasonable road infrastructure has existed within Angola, time and the war have taken their toll on the road surfaces, leaving many severely potholed, littered with broken asphalt. In many areas drivers have established alternate tracks to avoid the worst parts of the surface, although careful attention must be paid to the presence or absence of landmine warning markers by the side of the road.

The Angolan government has contracted the restoration of many of the country's roads, though. Many companies are coming into the country from China and surrounding nations to help improve road surfaces. The road between Lubango and Namibe, for example, was completed recently with funding from the European Union, and is comparable to many European main routes. Progress to complete the road infrastructure is likely to take some decades, but substantial efforts are already being made in the right directions.

Waterways

• 1,300 km navigable (2008)

country comparison to the world: 36

Pipelines

• gas, 2 km; crude oil 87 km (2008)

Ports and harbors

Atlantic Ocean

• from North to South
• Ambriz
• Cabinda
• Luanda - railhead for Malanje
• Lobito - railhead for Congo
• Malongo
• Namibe - railhead for Menongue
• Porto Amboim
• Soyo

Merchant marine

• total: 6

country comparison to the world: 128

• by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
• foreign owned: 1 (Spain)
• registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas) (2008)

Airports

• 211 (2008)

Airports - with paved runways

• total: 30
• over 3,047 m: 5
• 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
• 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
• 914 to 1,523 m: 4
• under 914 m: 1 (2008)

Airports - with unpaved runways

• total: 181 (2008)
• over 3,047 m: 2
• 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
• 1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
• 914 to 1,523 m: 100
• under 914 m: 42 (2008)

National Airlines

• TAAG Angola Airlines
• Sonair

History

Angola had an estimated total of 43 airports as of 2004, of which 31 had paved runways as of 2005. There is an international airport at Luanda. International and domestic services are maintained by TAAG Angola Airlines, Aeroflot, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Air Namibia, Cubana, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, Delta Air Lines, Royal Air Maroc (from December 2011), Iberia (from October 2011), Hainan, Kenya Airways, South African Airways, TAP Air Portugal and several regional carriers. In 2003, domestic and international carriers carried 198,000 passengers. There are airstrips for domestic transport at Benguela, Cabinda, Huambo, Namibe, and Catumbela.

References

This article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2003.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.