In the 19th century, Caconda was the most advanced point in the colonial territory of Portugal in Africa.

Caconda has a place in the history of zoology, because it was in this region that the great Portuguese naturalist and explorer José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta (1833–1897) carried out the greater part of his work.

The Caconda region was severely affected by the Angolan Civil War.

It is an extremely poor area, with a more than 20% malnutrition rate and many families living on subsistence farming.

It is located the Plano Alto region, approximately 280 km North of Lubango, the provincial capital city, and approximately 700 km South from Luanda, the country's capital city.