Learning the ABCs : Angolan Botanical Collecting - part 1 : getting there and Mt. Tchivira

Mention 'Angola' and many might think of a Third World, corrupt and war-torn African country that occasionally hosts football tournaments, where English is a foreign language and people drive on the 'wrong' side of the road. What many don't realise is that this 1,246,700 km2 country is quietly going places. Road-, housing- and other infrastructure is developing rapidly, thanks largely to investment from China. Internet and mobile phone companies are scrambling to get a foothold and tourism is slowly increasing. Angolan biodiversity however, remains poorly described, despite recent botanical interest including a SABONET expedition to Lubango and some coastal areas.