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:
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Amilema
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 a constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. 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.
Keetmanshoop Rural is an electoral constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It 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. The constituency office is situated in Aroab. It had a populations of 7,219 in 2011, up from 6,399 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 6,398 registered voters.
Oranjemund is a constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It covers an area of 4,623.138 km2 and had a population of 9,837 in 2011, up from 7,789 in 2001. The main towns are the district capital Oranjemund and the mining town of Rosh Pinah, the constituency also contains the Sendelingsdrift border post. As of 2020 the constituency had 7,894 registered voters.
Oshakati is a town in northern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Oshana Region and one of Namibia's largest cities both by population and as an economic center.
Grünau is a settlement in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, west of Karasburg. It is linked to the South African border posts near Noordoewer via the B1 and near Nakop via the B3. Grünau belongs to the Karasburg electoral constituency.
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.
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.
Kapako is a constituency in the Kavango West region of Namibia. The district centre is the settlement of Kapako. It had a population of 26,983 in 2011, up from 26,263 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.
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.
Omagongati is a village situated in the northern part of Namibia in Ondangwa Rural Constituency, Oshana region, it borders the Kingdom of Ondonga from that of Uukwambi, and it is under the leadership of the headman Mr. Noah Nakwfila, well known as Kapinya. Omagongati is as far from Ondangwa as it is from Oshakati, roughly 17 km away and 11km from Ongwediva. It is surrounded by numerous villages, namely Ashaaga, Onelago, Uudhengelo and Okatha, with the nearest town Eheke which has a high school and more improved infrastructures.
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.
Kavango West is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital and only self-governed settlement is Nkurenkuru, its governor is Sirkka Ausiku. The Region was created in 2013 when the Kavango Region was split into Kavango East and Kavango West. In the north, Kavango West borders the Cuando Cubango Province of Angola. Domestically, it borders the following regions:
Tondoro Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Kavango West Region of Namibia. Tondoro Constituency was named after the village and mission station Tondoro, although the administrative centre is in the village of Mburuuru.
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.