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 outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

s, millions of years old, that stand out for their size in relation to the

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

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 , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , re ...

, 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 provincia ...

, and is an important tourist attraction in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. 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, was an early-modern African state located in what is now Angola. The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in the sixteenth century. It was one of multiple vassal states to Kongo, though ...

. The commune of Pungo-Andongo is located in the center of the western subsystem of the formation, where the ruins of the Fortress of Pungo-Andongo, built by the Portuguese in 1671, are also located.

References

{{coord, 9, 39, 45, S, 15, 35, 02, E, region:AO, display=title Geography of Angola Tourism in Angola