[2] It has a semi-humid climate,[3] and acts as an intermediate climactic region between the arid Namib Desert to the west and the wetter Kalahari Basin to the east.

[4] It is a potential water source for the city of Lubango through diversion of its groundwater.

[3] The region is the source of several fossil specimens[5] dating from the Quaternary period.

[6] Some such specimens have been retrieved from breccias where animals became trapped in crevasses.

[7][8] Fossils of animals excavated from locations within Humpata Plateau include: Several taxa of diatom have also been identified in the region, and have been used as historic climate indicators.