Caves of Namibia

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Namibia, a country in south-western Africa, has a total of 124 known caves, 41 of which are situated in the Otjozondjupa Region. [1]

Contents

In several of these caves research has been done and published in various journals, but of a variety of caves the location is not commonly known, as the information got lost over the years. Some locations are also deliberately kept secret to protect the caves.

History

The caves known to local people were reported by early explorers and travelers. The caves of Namibia are not reputed for their beauty, but for their practical and curiosity reasons. [2]

A very common belief is that caves were used as shelter places by the San people (Bushmen). However, San did not use caves to shelter in, as most caves of Namibia have vertical entrances and also are situated on top of elevations. Caves were only used when they were accessible and allowed observation over approaching and surrounding area and also room was provided at entrance to shelter. Resources like water, bird’s eggs and honey were indeed used by the local people. [2]

Throughout 1882 to 1915, the Imperial German colonial administration troops were interested in caves, as they provided in remote areas water supply for transport animals. Cave pools which were accessible were used as water points for police patrols and resistance fighters alike. [2]

As years passed, landowners became interested in caves, as due to WW1 and WW2 nitrate was regarded a strategic resource and could no longer be used in fertilizers. Nitrate minerals were replaced by bird guano, but only a small quantity was used locally, the rest was exported. As no fertilizer was available, farmers searched caves and used bat guano as alternative. In the period of 1935 to 1942 more than 10 000 tons of bat guano was extracted from Arnhem cave, but also smaller caves like Nooitgedacht, Otgrot, Valle and others, were mined. [2]

From 1963 research was done on various caves all over Namibia. It was done by local people, but also a variety of researchers from Australia, Austria, France, Germany and many more countries. A problem with researchers from other countries is that they do not ensure that their results and reports are available in Namibia and so valuable information is then lost. [2]

Notable caves

Related Research Articles

This article deals with the system of transport in Namibia, both public and private.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otjozondjupa Region</span> Region in Namibia

Otjozondjupa is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Otjiwarongo. The region further contains the municipalities of Okahandja and Grootfontein and the towns Okakarara and Otavi. As of 2020, Otjozondjupa had 97,945 registered voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oshikoto Region</span> Region in Namibia

Oshikoto is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, named after Lake Otjikoto. Its capital is Omuthiya. Further major settlements in the region are Tsumeb, Otjikoto's capital until 2008, and Oniipa. As of 2020, Oshikoto had 112,170 registered voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grootfontein</span> City in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia

Grootfontein is a city with 26,839 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. It is one of the three towns in the Otavi Triangle, situated on the B8 national road that leads from Otavi to the Caprivi Strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsumeb</span> City in Oshikoto Region, Namibia

Tsumeb is a city of around 35,000 inhabitants and the largest town in the Oshikoto region in northern Namibia. Tsumeb is known as the "gateway to the north" of Namibia. It is the closest town to the Etosha National Park. Tsumeb used to be the regional capital of Oshikoto until 2008, when Omuthiya was proclaimed a town and the new capital. The area around Tsumeb forms its own electoral constituency and has a population of 44,113. The town is the site of a deep mine that in its heyday was known as "TCL", but has since been renamed the Ongopolo Mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otjiwarongo</span> City in Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia

Otjiwarongo is a city of 49,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otjiwarongo electoral constituency and also the capital of Otjozondjupa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoba meteorite</span> Largest known intact meteorite

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">TransNamib</span> Railway operator in Namibia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otavi</span> Town in Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia

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The Otavi Mining and Railway Company was a railway and mining company in German South West Africa. It was founded on 6 April 1900 in Berlin with the Disconto-Gesellschaft and the South West Africa Company as major shareholders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Guinas</span> Sinkhole lake in Namibia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otjikoto Lake</span>

Otjikoto Lake is the smaller of only two permanent natural lakes in Namibia. It is a sinkhole lake that was created by a collapsing karst cave. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of Tsumeb and only 100 meters from the main road B1. The lake was declared a national monument in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Namibia</span>

The rail service in Namibia is provided by TransNamib. The Namibian rail network consists of 2,687 km of tracks (2017).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of rail transport in Namibia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon's Breath Cave</span> Cave in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia

Dragon's Breath Cave is a flooded karst cave located in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia on private land, not accessible to the general public. The cave was discovered by Roger Ellis during a caving expedition to the area in 1986. It is named for the warm moist air that rises from its entrance when barometric pressure drops, which condenses to form a mist suggestive of the breath of a dragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West African Jung</span> Narrow gauge steam locomotive

The South West African Jung 0-6-2T of 1904 was a narrow gauge steam locomotive from the German South West Africa era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owambo Basin</span>

The Owambo Basin is a sedimentary basin located on the Congo Craton in Southern Africa that extends from southern Angola into Namibia and includes the Etosha Pan. It is bound on the southern and western sides by the Damara Belt in Northern Namibia, and by the Cubango River to the East. The northern boundary is scientifically disputed, but is currently mapped by most stratigraphers to include southern Angola with the boundary set at the Kunene River. The Owambo Basin is host to two famous regions: Tsumeb, a major Namibian city and site of a formerly active copper mine with exceptional mineralogical variability producing museum quality rare specimens, and Etosha National Park, the largest protected wildlife sanctuary in Namibia centered around Etosha Pan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Namibia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater exploration</span> Investigating or traveling around underwater for the purpose of discovery

Underwater exploration is the exploration of any underwater environment, either by direct observation by the explorer, or by remote observation and measurement under the direction of the investigators. Systematic, targeted exploration is the most effective method to increase understanding of the ocean and other underwater regions, so they can be effectively managed, conserved, regulated, and their resources discovered, accessed, and used. Less than 10% of the ocean has been mapped in any detail, less has been visually observed, and the total diversity of life and distribution of populations is similarly obscure.

References

  1. ↑ NamibWeb (2012). Namibian cave register Retrieved 31 July 2012
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 NamibWeb (2012). History of caves in Namibia Retrieved 31 July 2012
  3. ↑ "Dragon's Breath, Namibia". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  4. 1 2 3 Vickie Siegel Presenting 2019 Expedition to Dragon's Breath Cave, Namibia - March 4, 2020 , retrieved 2022-03-19
  5. ↑ Springer, Marc (27 May 2009). "Descending into another world: Cave diving in Namibia". Allgemeine Zeitung . Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  6. ↑ Wiebke Schmidt: Auf den Spuren der ältesten Kunst. Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Allgemeine Zeitung, May 2, 2008
  7. ↑ Voigt, Andreas (2004). National Monuments in Namibia: An Inventory of Proclaimed National Monuments in the Republic of Namibia. Gamsberg Macmillan. pp. 23–24. ISBN   9991605932.

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