The Black Rocks at Pungo Andongo (''Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo'') are a set of extensive monolithic

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock (geology), rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock Geological formation, formation ...

s in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. Millions of years old, they stand out for their size in relation to the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

landscape of the region. It is subdivided into Western, South, North and Southeast subsystems. The formation is an extension of the Cacuso Plateau.Diniz, A. Castanheira.; Aguiar, F. de Barros.
Zonagem Agro-Ecológica de Angola: estudo cobrindo 200 000 Km2 do território
Lisboa - Porto: Instituto da Cooperação Portuguesa; Fundação Portugal-África; Fundo da EFTA para o Desenvolvimento Industrial em Portugal. 1998. The western rocky subsystem, the best known and most visited of all, is located in the municipality of

Cacuso Cacuso is a town and municipality in Malanje Province in Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Port ...

, in

Malanje Province Malanje is a Provinces of Angola, province of Angola. It has an area of 97,602 km2 and a 2014 census population of 986,363. Malanje is the provincial capital. Geography The Malanje Province is located in the north of Angola, the provincial ...

, and is an important tourist attraction in

. According to tradition, the footprints carved into the rock belong to Ana de Sousa Ginga of Ndongo and Matamba, the great monarch of the

kingdom of Ndongo The Kingdom of Ndongo (formerly known as Angola or Dongo, also Kimbundu: ) was an early-modern African state located in the highlands between the Lukala and Kwanza Rivers, in what is now Angola. The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in t ...

. The commune of Pungo-Andongo is located in the center of the western subsystem of the formation. During its last years, this town was the capital of the

Kingdom of Ndongo The Kingdom of Ndongo (formerly known as Angola or Dongo, also Kimbundu: ) was an early-modern African state located in the highlands between the Lukala and Kwanza Rivers, in what is now Angola. The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in t ...

. In 1671 the Portuguese besieged and captured the city, enslaving many of its inhabitants and destroying the kingdom. The ruins of the Fortress of Pungo-Andongo, built by the Portuguese after the battle, are located in the modern town.

References

{{reflist Geography of Angola Tourism in Angola