Villages and settlements in Namibia are distinguished by the status the Government of Namibia has vested in them: Places in Namibia that are governed by a village council are villages, they are the smallest entities of local government. All other places except cities and towns are not self-governed, they are called settlements. [1]
As of 2015 [update] Namibia has 18 villages, each of them governed by a village council of up to five seats. Village councils are elected locally and have the authority to set up facilities like water, sewerage and cemeteries without the approval of the Minister of Urban and Rural Development. They may also declare streets and public places, collect fees for the services they provide, and buy immovable property without asking for explicit approval. The eighteen villages are: [2]
| Villages in Namibia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Village | Region | Population [3] | Notes |
| Aroab | ǁKaras | 1,660 | [4] |
| Berseba | ǁKaras | 784 | [5] [6] |
| Bethanie | ǁKaras | 1,748 | [7] |
| Koës | ǁKaras | 1,530 | |
| Tses | ǁKaras | 1,365 | [5] |
| Gibeon | Hardap | 2,631 | |
| Gochas | Hardap | 1,163 | |
| Kalkrand | Hardap | 1,238 | [8] |
| Stampriet | Hardap | 1,947 | |
| Maltahöhe | Hardap | 2,379 | [9] |
| Divundu | Kavango East | 746 | |
| Kamanjab | Kunene | 1,795 | |
| Okongo | Ohangwena | 2,236 | |
| Leonardville | Omaheke | 1,191 | |
| Witvlei | Omaheke | 1,768 | |
| Otjinene | Omaheke | 2,102 | [10] [11] |
| Tsandi | Omusati | 891 | |
| Bukalo | Zambezi | 600 | [12] |
| 1. Kunene 2. Omusati 3. Oshana 4. Ohangwena 5. Oshikoto | 6. Kavango West 7. Kavango East 8. Zambezi 9. Erongo 10. Otjozondjupa | 11. Omaheke 12. Khomas 13. Hardap 14. ǁKaras |
Settlements in Namibia are non self-governed populated places. While they may have a dedicated person responsible for their administration, this person is not elected but an employee of the respective regional administration. Some of the settlements in Namibia per Region are:
 |
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.
Omaheke is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, the least populous region. Its capital is Gobabis. It lies in eastern Namibia on the border with Botswana and is the western extension of the Kalahari Desert. The self-governed villages of Otjinene, Leonardville and Witvlei are situated in the region. As of 2020, Omaheke had 48,594 registered voters.
Karasburg was an electoral constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It had a population of 16,470 in 2011, up from 15,758 in 2001. The constituency covered an area of 38,329 km2 (14,799 sq mi). The main towns were Karasburg and Grünau; other populated places included Warmbad and Aussenkehr, and the border settlements of Ariamsvlei and Noordoewer. The Orange River formed part of the southern border of this constituency. Economic activities in this constituency were mainly small-stock farming, and near the Orange River, grape production.
Keetmanshoop Rural is an electoral constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It covers an area of 37,922 km2 (14,642 sq mi) and contains the Krönlein suburb of Keetmanshoop and the villages of Koës and Aroab, the settlements of Seeheim and Klein Karas, as well as several farming communities in the area. Keetmanshoop Rural had a population of 7,219 in 2011, up from 6,399 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 6,398 registered voters.
Joseph Diescho is a Namibian writer and political analyst. In 1988, he wrote Born of the Sun, the first novel by a native-born Namibian author.
Rosh Pinah is a mining town located in southern Namibia, close to the border with South Africa. It is situated 360 kilometres (220 mi) south of Keetmanshoop in Namibia's ǁKaras Region. West of the town lies Diamond Area 1, the main diamond mining area of Namibia. Rosh Pinah belongs to the Oranjemund electoral constituency. The town is connected via road to Aus and Oranjemund.
Eheke is a settlement in northern Namibia situated at the edge of the Oshana Region near Ondangwa Airport. Eheke has c. 1,150 inhabitants and is situated 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of Ondangwa near Omagongati. Eheke was the administrative centre for Ondangwa Constituency, and after a split of this constituency in 2013 it is the centre of the Ondangwa Rural constituency.
Elma Jane Dienda is a Namibian politician and teacher. Currently a member Democratic Turnhalle Alliance which she joined four years after she resigned from the CoD, Dienda was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia from taking the CoD's final spot in 2004 until the CoD did not receive enough votes for her re-election in 2009. She is of South African and Malawian descent.
Oikango is a settlement in the Oshana Region of northern Namibia, situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Ongwediva, and next to the settlement of Omashekediva. It belongs to the Ongwediva electoral constituency. The headman of this village is Gabriel Shaduka Shilongo.
Kahenge was a constituency in the Kavango Region of Namibia. The district centre was the settlement of Kahenge. It had a population of 29,799 in 2011, down from 30,903 in 2001.
Ndiyona is a constituency in the Kavango East region of Namibia. The district centre is the settlement of Ndiyona. It had a population of 20,633 in 2011, up from 19,565 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 6,210 registered voters.
Omugulugwombashe is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. The settlement features a clinic and a primary school. In 1966, the first battle of the South African Border War was fought in Omugulugwombashe. The government of Namibia erected a monument on the 30th anniversary of the battle in 1996.
Olukonda Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Oshikoto Region of Namibia. It had 9,094 inhabitants in 2004 and 7,495 registered voters in 2020. The district capital is the settlement of Olukonda.
Omuntele Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Oshikoto Region on the northern part of Namibia. It had 21,884 inhabitants in 2004 and 9,854 registered voters in 2020. The district capital is the settlement of Omuntele.
Andimba Toivo ya Toivo Senior Secondary School is a school in the Oshana Region of Namibia, in the suburb Oluno in Ondangwa town. It was established in the 1970s during South African occupation. The school's original name was Oluno Senior Secondary School. In 2004 it was renamed after Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, founder of SWAPO.
Hoachanas is a settlement of 3,000 inhabitants in the Hardap Region of southern central Namibia, located 55 kilometres (34 mi) northeast of Kalkrand. It is situated at the junction of the main road C21 from Kalkrand, and C15 from Dordabis to Stampriet and belongs to the Mariental Rural electoral constituency.
John ya Otto Nankudhu was a Namibian guerrilla, army officer and politician. He was the commander of the forces of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) at Omugulugwombashe when the armed struggle for independence began there on 26 August 1966 and was later jailed for 17 years at Robben Island. He is a National Hero of Namibia for his contributions to the independence of the country.
Aminuis is a cluster of small settlements in the remote eastern part of the Omaheke Region of Namibia, located about 500 km east of Windhoek. It is the district capital of the Aminuis electoral constituency.
Odibo is a village in the north of Namibia close to the Angolan border known for its Anglican mission St Mary. It belongs to the Oshikango electoral constituency in the Ohangwena Region. Odibo is also an Archdeaconry in the Diocese of Namibia.