Walvis Bay (English: lit. Whale Bay; Afrikaans: Walvisbaai; German: Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city[5] in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of 29 square kilometres (11sqmi) of land.[6] The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deep-water harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also draw large numbers of southern right whales,[7] attracting whalers and fishing vessels.
A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value in relation to the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in 1485. The importance of the harbour, combined with its extreme isolation by land, explains the complicated political history of the town. For much of its history, Walvis Bay was governed as an exclave separate from the rest of the territory that today is Namibia.
Walvis Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is an important centre of tourism activity in Namibia. Attractions include the artificial Bird Island, centre of a guano collection industry, the Dune 7 sand dune, the salt works, the abundant birdlife, and a museum. Kuisebmund Stadium, home to two clubs in the Namibia Premier League, is also located in the city. The beach resort of Langstrand lies just a few kilometres north. The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone is an important facet of the local economy.
Etymology
The Dutch referred to it as Walvisch Baye and the English as Whale Bay. In its eventual formal incorporation, it was named Walfish Bay, which was changed to Walvish Bay, and ultimately to Walvis Bay. It has also been referred to as Walwich Bay[8] or Walwisch Bay.[9] The Herero people of the area called it Ezorongondo.[10]
History
Map showing location of Walvis Bay and reference to South Africa before the handover to Namibia
Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reached Cape Cross, north of the bay, in 1485.[11] There followed Bartolomeu Dias, who anchored his flagship São Cristóvão in what is now Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover a sea route to the East via the Cape of Good Hope.[12] He named the bay "O Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceição".[13] However, the Portuguese did not formally stake a claim to Walvis Bay.[14]
Walvis Bay was founded at the end of the 18th century as a stopover for sea travel between Cape Town and the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company.[1] No permanent (year round) settlement was attempted and little commercial development occurred on the site until the late 19th century. In the meantime, the Cape Colony had become British, and during the Scramble for Africa, the British claimed Walvis Bay. They permitted the Cape Colony to complete the annexation of the territory in 1884, together with the Penguin Islands, following initial steps which had been taken in 1878.[15][16]
In 1910, Walvis Bay, as part of the Cape Colony, became part of the newly formed Union of South Africa.[17] Subsequently, a dispute arose with Germany over the exclave's boundaries, which was eventually settled in 1911, with Walvis Bay being allocated an area of 1,124 square kilometres (434sqmi).[18]
Directly controlled land (including Walvis Bay) of the former Union of South AfricaPelican Point, Lighthouse and Lodge (2014)
The exclave was overrun by the Germans during the South West Africa Campaign early in the First World War, but the Union Defence Force (UDF) of South Africa eventually ousted the Germans in 1915.[19] Subsequently, Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime in South West Africa.[20]
Despite the territory never having been part of German South West Africa, the Act stated that: "the port and settlement of Walvis Bay, which forms part of the Cape of Good Hope, shall for judicial and administrative purposes be regarded as if it were part of the mandated territory of South West Africa".[18] However, South Africa had also sought to annex South West Africa itself, and had presented such a proposal to the League of Nations.[16] Consequently, in 1949, the Act was amended to give representation in the Parliament of South Africa to whites in South West Africa.[23]
On 14 December 1971 the Namibian general contract workers strike began in Walvis Bay, after starting the day before in Windhoek. The goal of the strike was the abolition of the contract labour system, to oppose apartheid, and promote Namibia's independence.[24]
In 1977, following increasing international pressure to relinquish its control over South West Africa, South Africa repealed the Act, but transferred control of Walvis Bay back to the Cape Province, thereby making it an exclave.[25] From 1980, it was represented in both the Provincial Council and the House of Assembly as part of the Green Point constituency in Cape Town, before becoming a separate constituency in 1982.[26]
In response, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 432 (1978), which declared that "the territorial integrity and unity of Namibia must be assured through the reintegration of Walvis Bay within its territory".[27]
In 1990, South West Africa gained independence as Namibia, but Walvis Bay remained under South African sovereignty, with South Africa increasing the number of troops.[28] However, in 1992, the two countries agreed to establish a transitional Joint Administrative Authority for Walvis Bay and the Offshore Islands.[29] The Authority was headed by two Chief Executive Officers, Nangolo Mbumba, then Secretary to the Namibian Cabinet, and Carl von Hirschberg, former South African Ambassador to the United Nations.[30]
In August 1993, prior to the end of apartheid, the Multiparty Negotiating Forum in South Africa passed a resolution calling for "the incorporation-reintegration of Walvis Bay and the Off-Shore Islands into Namibia."[31] The Transfer of Walvis Bay to Namibia Act was passed by the Parliament of South Africa that year.[32] Following the signing of a treaty between the two countries, South Africa formally transferred sovereignty of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands to Namibia on 1 March 1994.[33]
Geography
Suburbs
Due to its South African administration Walvis Bay was developed as a segregated town. The suburb of Kuisebmond, located 3.2 kilometres (1.8 mi) from Walvis Bay city centre,[34] housed Black people; Narraville, located 3.3 kilometres (2 mi) from Walvis Bay city centre,[35] was inhabited by Coloureds; and Whites lived in the city centre.[1]
After the incorporation of the town into Namibia, many people have settled in shacks around it. In an effort to reduce the impact of the informal settlements, the municipality formed the Tutaleni Housing Project to the northeast.[citation needed]
Climate
Despite its location within the tropics, Walvis Bay features the very rare mild variation of the cold desert climate (BWk) according to the Köppen climate classification. It is caused by the rain shadow of the Naukluft Mountains and the cooling effect of the coastal sea temperature by the Benguela Current. Walvis Bay receives only 13.2 millimetres (0.52in) average precipitation per year, making it one of the driest cities on earth. Despite its dry climate, the city is relatively humid. Average relative humidity throughout the year remains above 80%. The warmest month is February with average temperature 17.9°C (64.2°F), while the coolest months are August and September with average temperature 13.2°C (55.8°F). The diurnal temperature range is also low, averaging only 5.7°C (10.3°F).
A weather station operated on the Pelican Point headland from 1958 to 1984. Unusually, the highest temperatures are not recorded during the summer; autumn, spring, and even winter have all seen higher temperatures than the hottest days in summer. These record highs occur when offshore winds blow downwards from the high plateau inland and are nonetheless mild by comparison to many other cities in the tropics at the same latitude. Higher temperatures have been recorded, even just slightly inland, such as a report of 42.8°C (109.0°F) at the airport on 15 April 2016.[36]
Climate data for Pelican Point, Walvis Bay (7 m), Namibia (1958–1984)
Tourism has had an increasing influence in the town's economy, with international tourists arriving at its airport and port facilities. Several cruise liners visit the port each year. With many tourism activities hosted by small and large tour operators the town has turned into a tourism destination.[40]
In Walvis Bay there are a variety of fishing companies like Hangana Seafood, Caroline Fishing, Benguella Fishing Company, Cadilu Fishing, Etosha Fisheries, Kuiseb Fishing Enterprises, Blue Ocean Products, Benguella Sea Products, Consortium Fisheries, Talanam Fish Processor. These companies catch diverse types of fish, like snoek, horse mackerel, anchovy, white steenbras, kabeljou, kingklip, hake, catfish, tuna, and sardines. Hangana Seafood are processors and exporters of fish and fish products. As such, the fishing enterprise accounts for a major part of Walvis Bay's economy.[citation needed]
In May 2018, a spokesman for the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor), confirmed that a new N$530 million onshore processing plant would be operational by September 2018. After completion, the factory (which plans to employ 700 people of which 70% will be female), promises to be the largest pelagic processing plant in sub-Saharan Africa and will process about 80 000 tonnes of fish per annum.[41]
Manufacturing
In March 2018, the Namibian government in association with French Groupe PSA signed an investment agreement to initiate a joint-venture to assemble Opel and Peugeot vehicles in Walvis Bay. The N$190m-project[42] has been earmarked to commence in 2018 with a forecasted annual target volume of 5000 units by 2020, a target carried by SACU countries' market demand.[43] However, Peugeot threatened to close the plant over disputes with South Africa over import tariffs.[44]
Walvis Bay Salt produces approximately 1 million tons of salt per year through solar evaporation of sea water. Most of the salt is for industrial use but the company also produces table salt under the "Cerebos" brand.[45]
Walvis Bay is an important logistical port for the southern African region, providing port facilities for the import and export of cargo for the rest of Namibia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Botswana. Since the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) was established in 2000, cargo moving through the port has increased from 30,000 containers a year to 370,000 containers in 2016. As of 2017 the port was being upgraded to increase its capacity to move 1 million containers a year by 2019. Bureaucratic and logistical problems at the city's competitor port at Durban, South Africa have diverted traffic to the port at Walvis Bay. Ninety-five percent of all cargo hauled overland through Walvis Bay is carried by truck.[46]
The Walvis Bay Corridor Group is gearing up to increase import/export-business opportunities in Namibia. The Namibian National Development Plan expects to complete the expansion programme of the Walvis Bay port by 2019. Because of the harbour's geographical positioning, authorities plan to gain a footprint in providing landlocked Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries with a vital logistical hub.[47] In addition to the importance of the port, development would strengthen trade corridors which consists of current road and rail networks.[47]
In an attempt to strengthen and enhance trade relations between other African countries, Namport (the Namibian Port Authority) in April 2019 signed a five-year MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Port Authority of Dakar, Senegal.[48]
Walvis Bay International Airport provides commercial flight services to the city's residents, as well as to neighbouring towns and villages. Airlink services flights between South Africa and Walvis Bay.[49]
In August 2019 a new container terminal was opened, built on a 40-acre platform reclaimed from the sea.[50] The terminal was built by the state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company with funds from the Namibian government and the African Development Bank, costing N$4.2b.[51][52]
This increases the capacity of the port to 750,000 containers per year from 350,000. The terminal also includes a dedicated cruise liner berth.[52]
Education
Walvis Bay has a number of public (government-run), semi-public, and private schools. Among them are Duneside High School, Duinesig Primary School, International School of Walvis Bay, The Dolphin Schools, Alexanders Private School, Kuisebmond Secondary School, Walvis Bay Private School and others. A number of kindergartens cater to young children.[citation needed]
Walvis Bay contains open spaces, scenic beauty and unique marine and plant life. It is well suited for the outdoor lifestyle, boasting sports such as sandboarding, kiting, surfing, swimming, angling, sailing, golf and other indoor and outdoor sport codes. There is Walvis Bay Lagoon and Aquatic Activities, Kuiseb River Delta and the beach itself where people enjoy swimming and catching fish.[citation needed]
The two-kilometre (1+1⁄4-mile) sand spit allows the adjacent water to remain smooth in very strong winds, ideal for record attempting vessels like that by the Vestas Sailrocket. The ocean side of the sand spit has a world-famous surf spot known in the international surf media as "Skeleton Bay."[59]
This article deals with the system of transport in Namibia, both public and private.
South West Africa, renamed to Namibia from 12 June 1968, was an occupied part of the Union of South Africa and later the Republic of South Africa from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia. During its administration, South Africa applied its own apartheid system in the territory of South West Africa.
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which was 486,169 in 2023, is constantly growing due to a continued migration from other regions in Namibia.
The Kuiseb River is an ephemeral river in western-central Namibia. Its source is in the Khomas Highland west of Windhoek. From there it flows westwards through the Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Namib desert to Walvis Bay. Several settlements of the Topnaar people are on the banks of the lower Kuiseb, for instance Homeb, Sandfontein, Rooibank, and Utuseb. Inflows of the Kuiseb are Gomab, Ojab, Chausib, Gaub, Koam, Nausgomab and Goagos.
Swakopmund is a city on the coast of western Namibia, 352 km (219 mi) west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. As of 2011, the town had 44,725 inhabitants and 196 km2 (76 sq mi) of land. In 2023, the population had increased to 75,921 people.
The Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a paved highway corridor that provides a direct route from the port of Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central Namibia, through Botswana, to Pretoria in Gauteng province in South Africa. It initially cost approximately 850 million Namibian dollars and was officially opened in 1998.
Tourism in Namibia is a major industry, contributing N$7.2 billion to the country's gross domestic product. Annually, over one million travelers visit Namibia, with roughly one in three coming from South Africa, then Germany and finally the United Kingdom, Italy and France. The country is among the prime destinations in Africa and is known for ecotourism which features Namibia's extensive wildlife.
Vehicle registration plates of Namibia are yellow fluorescent metal plates with imprints in black. The standard version is uniform throughout the country, and carries one of the following forms:
Namibia's telephone numbering plan was originally devised when the country, then known as South West Africa, was under South African administration, and integrated into the South African telephone numbering plan.
Hans Ulrich "Uli" Aschenborn is a Southern African animal painter. The musea in Windhoek and Swakopmund (Namibia) have artwork of Uli as well as the National Art Gallery of Namibia.
The rail service in Namibia is provided by TransNamib. The Namibian rail network consists of 2,687 km of tracks (2017).
Reverend Johann Heinrich Schmelen, born Johann Hinrich Schmelen was a German missionary and linguist who worked in South Africa and South-West Africa. Traveling through the area of today's northern South Africa and central and southern Namibia he founded the mission stations at Bethanie and Steinkopf and discovered the natural harbour at Walvis Bay. Together with his wife Zara he translated parts of the Bible into Khoekhoegowab (Damara/Nama) and published a dictionary.
Harold Pupkewitz was a Lithuanian born, Namibian entrepreneur and member of the President's Economic Advisory Council. He was the Executive Chairman of Pupkewitz Holdings, a group of builders' merchants, car sale businesses, and a host of other enterprises, from its foundation in 1946 until his death. Pupkewitz directed the boards of several important Namibian companies, among them NamPost, NamPower, Telecom Namibia, and MTC Namibia, and served as president of a number of high-profile political and economical institutions.
The border between Namibia and South Africa is 967 kilometres (601 mi) long. It runs along the Orange River from its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean to the 20th meridian east, and then northwards along that meridian to the tripoint with Botswana at the Nossob River.
Utuseb is a small settlement in the Erongo Region in western central Namibia. It is situated in the Namib Desert, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Walvis Bay on the banks of Kuiseb River. Utuseb has approximately 700 inhabitants and belongs to the Walvis Bay Rural electoral constituency. The people living here belong to the ǂAonin community, a subtribe of the Nama people.
Nikolai Mossolow was a Russian-born Namibian historian and archivist.
The Topnaar people (ǂAonin) are a clan of the Nama people in Namibia. Their settlements are all situated on the Kuiseb River in the Erongo Region of central Namibia, the largest one is Utuseb.
After 28 years without a postal code system in Namibia, the national postal service provider NamPost introduced new postal codes in December 2018.
The Walvis Bay 2-4-2T Hope of 1899 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
Beatrice Sandelowsky is a Namibian archaeologist. She was a co-founder of The University Centre for Studies in Namibia (TUCSIN).
↑ Britannica, Walvis Bay, britannica.com, USA, accessed on 7 July 2019
1 2 Succession of States and Namibian territories, Y. Makonnen in Recueil Des Cours, 1986: Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law, Academie de Droit International de la Haye, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1987, page 213
↑ Debates of Parliament, Hansard, Volume 9, Issues 19-21, Government Printer, 1993, page 10179
↑ "STATIONSNUMMER 68104"(PDF). Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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