Etymology

The name Angola comes from the Portuguese colonial name Reino de Angola, which was first used in a document from 1571 created by Paulo Dias de Novais. The Portuguese took the name Angola from the word "ngola," which was a title used by the kings of Ndongo and Matamba. Ndongo was located in the highlands between the Kwanza and Lucala rivers. At that time, Ndongo was technically under the control of the Kingdom of Kongo. However, during the 16th century, Ndongo was trying to become more independent.