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
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.
The Cunene or Kunene is a river in Southern Africa. It flows from the Angola highlands southwards to the border with Namibia. It then flows in a westerly direction along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Epembe is a constituency in the Ohangwena Region of northern Namibia. It had 14,837 inhabitants in 2004 and 6,489 registered voters in 2020. The district centre is the settlement of Epembe.
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.
Olupaka Combined School is a school in Eyanda village in Outapi Constituency in northern Namibia. The school was founded in 1951 by the Roman Catholic Mission and became a state school in 1972. The school patron is Chief Justice Peter Shivute; former Namibian president Sam Nujoma is its goodwill ambassador.
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.
Epukiro is a cluster of small settlements in the remote eastern part of the Omaheke Region of Namibia, situated about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of the regional capital Gobabis. The centre of the populated area is the Catholic mission station. Epukiro had about 3,200 inhabitants in 1997, predominantly ethnic Tswana.
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.
Ondangwa Rural is an electoral constituency in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It had 13,613 inhabitants in 2016 and 7,682 registered voters in 2020. The administrative centre of the constituency is the settlement Eheke.