Mbande Hill is a Malawi

Malawi

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

an archaeological site

Archaeological site

An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...

, located at the northern end of Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...

, in Karonga district, Northern Malawi. The site has been identified as the capital of the Ngonde kingdom. Its chiefs, known as the 'Kyungu' ruled from this location. Pottery and bead finds at the site suggest it was occupied between 1500–1800 period, while the uppermost levels of excavation point to a nineteenth century date. It is suspected that the kingdom had links with Africa's East Coast maritime trade networks. A surviving earthwork at Mbande Hill may have been part of the fortifications.