Swakopmund (
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
for "Mouth of the Swakop") is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
on the
Atlantic coastThe Atlantic Coast is any coast fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The term differentiates the coasts of countries or continents with coastlines on more than one body of water, such as North America, South America, Africa and Europe.-See also:*Indian Ocean...
of northwestern
NamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in Southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east...
, 280 km (175 miles) west of
WindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in the central Khomas Region, and had a population of 306,093 in the 2009 calculations, believed to be over 296,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
, Namibia's capital. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. As a seaside resort, the weather is cooler here in December to January (Namibia's summer months) so the territorial administration moves to Swakopmund for these months. Swakopmund's population as of 2007 is approximately 28,552.
Swakopmund is a beach resort and an example of German
colonialColonialism is the building and maintaining of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Sovereignty over the colony is claimed by the metropole...
architecture. It was founded in 1892 as the main harbour for
German South-West AfricaGerman South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
.
The city lies on the
B2 roadThe B2 is a major road in Namibia. The highway runs east-west between the major sea port of Walvis Bay and the nation's capital Windhoek....
and the Trans-Namib Railway from
WindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in the central Khomas Region, and had a population of 306,093 in the 2009 calculations, believed to be over 296,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
to
Walvis BayWalvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies....
. It is also home to
Swakopmund AirportSwakopmund Airport is an airport in Swakopmund, Namibia....
.
Buildings in the city include the
Altes Gefängnis prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
, designed by Heinrich Bause in 1909. The Wörmannhaus, built in 1906 with a prominent tower, is now a
public libraryA public library is a library which is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and may be operated by civil servants...
.
Attractions in Swakopmund include a
Swakopmund Museum, the
National Marine AquariumThe National Marine Aquarium of Namibia is an aquarium in Swakopmund, Namibia. The Aquarium features fauna from the cold Benguela Current in the southern Atlantic Ocean....
, a
crystalA crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is crystallography...
gallery and spectacular sand dunes near
LangstrandLangstrand is a small beach resort on the Atlantic coast in western Namibia...
south of the
Swakop RiverThe Swakop River is a major river in the western part of Namibia, reaching the sea at the southern edge of the city of Swakopmund . As a river that lies in one of the driest regions of the Earth, it is very seasonal and may dry up for long stretches of time...
. Outside of the city, the
Rossmund Desert Golf CourseRossmund Desert Golf Course is a private golf course in Swakopmund, Namibia. It is one of only 5 all-grass desert golf courses in the world. It is located 6 km outside of Swakopmund on the B2 on the way to Windhoek on the Swakop River.-Source:* *...
is one of only 5 all-grass desert golf courses in the world. The city is known for extreme sports. Nearby lies a
camelCamels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the Bactrian camel has two humps. They are native to the dry desert areas of western Asia, and central and east Asia, respectively...
farm and the
Martin LutherMartin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could...
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a "road locomotive" such as a traction engine or steamroller....
, dating from 1896 and abandoned in the desert.
Name
The majority of towns and villages in Namibia have grown out of indigenous settlements and very often were located close to sources of water. Names of places given by original inhabitants were very descriptive and in many cases those names were retained by
EuropeanThe European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlerA settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s who sometimes simplified pronunciations of the names. The
NamaThe Khoekhoe language, or Khoekhoegowab, also known by the ethnic term Nàmá and previously the now discouraged term Hottentot, is the most populous and widespread of the Khoisan languages. It belongs to the Khoe language family, and is spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa by three ethnic...
word "Tsoakhaub" can be translated as "excrement opening" which was an offensive but accurate description of the waters of the
Swakop RiverThe Swakop River is a major river in the western part of Namibia, reaching the sea at the southern edge of the city of Swakopmund . As a river that lies in one of the driest regions of the Earth, it is very seasonal and may dry up for long stretches of time...
when it flooded, carrying masses of mud, sand, pieces of vegetation and animal corpses to the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
.
The Nama name was changed to "Swachaub" by German settlers, and with the proclamation of Swakopmund as an independent district of German South-West Africa in 1896, the present way of writing Swakopmund (meaning
Estuary of the Swakop in German) came into use.
History
Swakopmund was founded in 1892, two years later than
WindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in the central Khomas Region, and had a population of 306,093 in the 2009 calculations, believed to be over 296,000 in 2008.- Geography :...
, by Captain
Curt von FrançoisCurt von François was a military and political figure in the early days of German colonialism in Africa. He is remembered as one of the pioneers of German Southwest Africa ....
. It was intended to be the main harbour of
German South-West AfricaGerman South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
. Increased traffic between
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and its
colonyIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
necessitated establishing a port of its own, as
Walvis BayWalvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies....
, located 33 kilometres south, was in
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
possession. The choice fell to a site north of the
Swakop RiverThe Swakop River is a major river in the western part of Namibia, reaching the sea at the southern edge of the city of Swakopmund . As a river that lies in one of the driest regions of the Earth, it is very seasonal and may dry up for long stretches of time...
, because water was readily available, and because other sites were unsuitable. It should be noted however, that the site did not offer any natural protection to ships lying off the coast, such places being very rare on Namibia's western coast.
On 4 August 1892 the crew of a gunboat named
Hyäne (German for
HyenaThe Hyaenidae is a mammalian family of order Carnivora. The Hyaenidae family, native to both African and Asian continents, consists of four living species, the Striped Hyena and Brown Hyena , the Spotted Hyena , and the Aardwolf .-Evolution:Hyenas seem to have originated 26 million years ago from...
) erected two
beaconA beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
s on a large dune, probably in the vicinity of the present
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
. This is regarded as the founding date of Swakopmund. The first settlers were 120
SchutztruppeThe Schutztruppe was the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 1800s to 1918, when Germany lost its colonies. Similar to other colonial forces, the Schutztruppe consisted of volunteer European commissioned and non-commissioned officers, medical and veterinary officers...
with equipment and 40 settlers who offloaded from the
Marie Woermann using four landing boats. The settlers had to build caves on the beach to protect themselves against hostile weather. Before a breakwater was built in 1898, which later became known as the
MoleA mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or junction between places separated by water.Historically, the term "mole" was used in the San Francisco Bay Area in California to refer to the combined structure of a causeway and wooden pier or trestle extending out...
, all offloading was done with special boats that could only be handled by
KrooKROO is a radio station with an oldies format, licensed to Breckenridge, Texas....
men from
LiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2008 Census, the nation is home to 3,476,608 people and covers ....
. At that time, up to 600 Kroo tribesmen were employed by the Woermann Line. The number of vessels offloading in Swakopmund was increasing rapidly. In 1894, only four ships offloaded, and in 1895 there were five. In 1896 the Woermann Line introduced bi-monthly service, and in 1899, monthly service to Swakopmund. Due to a lack of building materials, most of the first settlers' houses were prefabricated wood.
Swakopmund quickly became the main port for imports and exports for the whole territory, and was one of six towns which received municipal status in 1909. Many government offices for German South-West Africa had offices in Swakopmund.
Soon, the harbour created by the Mole silted up, and in 1905 work was started on a wooden jetty, but in the long run this was inadequate. In 1914 construction of an iron jetty was therefore commenced, the remains of which can still be seen today. After
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
it became a pedestrian walkway. It was declared structurally unsound and was closed to the public for seven years and in 2006 renovations to the portion supported by concrete pillars was completed with the remaining portion being alienated. It was opened to the public once more in late 2006.
Trading and shipping companies founded branches in Swakopmund. A number of these buildings still exist today. After German South-West Africa was taken over by the
Union of South AfricaThe Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day state of the Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unity of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
in 1915, all harbour activities were transferred from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay. Many of the Central Government services ceased. Businesses closed down, the number of inhabitants diminished, and the town became less prosperous. However, the natural potential of Swakopmund as a holiday resort was recognised, and this potential has subsequently been developed. Today tourism-related services form an important part of the town's economy.
The discovery of
uraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table that has the symbol U and atomic number 92. Besides its 92 protons, a uranium nucleus can have between 141 and 146 neutrons. The most common uranium isotopes are U-238 and U-235 . A uranium atom has...
at
RössingThe Rössing Uranium Mine is one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world. It is located in the Namib Desert 65 kilometres from Swakopmund at the Khan River. Discovered in 1928, it started operations in 1976 and in 2005, produced 3,711 tonnes of uranium oxide, making it the fifth-largest...
, 70 km (43 mi) outside the town, led to the development of the world's largest opencast uranium mine. This had an enormous impact on all facets of life in Swakopmund which necessitated expansion of the infrastructure of the town to make it into one of the most modern in Namibia.
In October 2000 an agreement was signed between the Namibian and
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
governments to build a satellite tracking station at Swakopmund. Construction was completed in July 2001 at a site north of Swakopmund to the east of the Henties Bay-Swakopmund road and opposite the Swakopmund Salt Works. The site was chosen as it was on the orbital track of a manned spacecraft during its reentry phase. Costing
N$The dollar has been the currency of Namibia since 1993. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively N$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
12 million, the complex covers 150m by 85m. It is equipped with five meter and nine meter satellite dishes.
In August 2008 filming commenced in Swakopmund on the
AMCAMC may refer to:* AMC , a short-lived British steam car manufactured in London in 1910* AMC , an American cable television channel* AMC 3 and...
television series
The Prisoner starring Jim Caviezel and Sir
Ian McKellenSir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE , is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received a Tony Award and two Academy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
. Swakopmund was used as the film location for
The Villagethumb|A part of [[Portmeirion]], the real-life filming location for exterior shots of the Village.thumb|The Stone BoatThe Village is the fictional setting of the 1960s UK television series The Prisoner, where the main character, Number Six, was interned with other former spies and operatives...
.
Tourism
The city has scattered coffee shops, night clubs, bars and hotels. There are balloon rides, sky diving and quad biking.
Public health
The main healthcare provider in the city is the
Cottage Medi-ClinicCottage Medi-Clinic is a private hospital in Swakopmund, Namibia. Founded in 1984 as Rössing Cottage Hospital, it is part of the Medi-Clinic Corporation. It has seventy beds....
, a hospital with 70 beds.
Climate
Surrounded by the
Namib DesertThe Namib Desert is a desert in Namibia and southwest Angola which forms part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The name "Namib" is of Nama origin....
on three sides and the cold
AtlanticThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
waters to the west, Swakopmund enjoys a temperate climate. The average temperature ranges between 15°C (59°F) to 25°C (77°F). Rainfall is less than 15 mm per year, making gutters and drainpipes on buildings a rarity. The cold
Benguela currentThe Benguela Current is the broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The current extends from roughly Cape Point in the south, to the position of the Angola-Benguela Front in the north, at around 16°S. The current is driven by the...
supplies moisture for the area in the form of
fogFog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground. A cloud may be considered partly fog; for example, the part of a cloud that is suspended in the air above the ground is not considered fog, whereas the part of the cloud that comes in contact with higher ground is considered fog...
that can reach as deep as 140 km (87 mi) inland. The fauna and flora of the area has adapted to this phenomenon and now relies upon the fog as a source of moisture.
Notable inhabitants
- Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, daughter of Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men, a label that entices the media to report on his off-screen life...
and Angelina JolieAngelina Jolie is an American actress and Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. She has received three Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and an Academy Award. Jolie has promoted humanitarian causes throughout the world, and is noted for her work with refugees through...
was born here
- Austin Stevens
Austin James Stevens is a South African-born herpetologist and wildlife photographer best known for hosting a series of snake documentaries. Austin is also the author of 2 books.-Biography:...
External links