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Keetmanshoop

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Overview

Keetmanshoop is the capital of the ǁKaras region of southern Namibia. It's one of the main stopping points on the B1 between Windhoek and South Africa. Referred to in Namibia as Keetmans. At first, Keetmanshoop (pronounc

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From Wikipedia1,119 words

Introduction

Settlement in Namibia This article contains click symbols from the Khoekhoe language. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. Town in ǁKaras Region, NamibiaKeetmanshoop ǂNūǂgoaesSwartmodderTownKeetmanshoop MunicipalityClockwise from top: Keetmanshoop church, Keetmanshoop airport, Colonial ruins, Aerial view of Keetmanshoop, Colonial post office Coat of armsNicknames: Die Twaalf, Kaitie, Keetmaro, TwaalflettersMotto: Laborando vincimus Meaning: We win by labourKeetmanshoopLocation in NamibiaShow map of NamibiaKeetmanshoopKeetmanshoop (Africa)Show map of AfricaCoordinates: 26°34′43″S 18°8′0″E / 26.57861°S 18.13333°E / -26.57861; 18.13333Country NamibiaRegionǁKaras RegionConstituencyKeetmanshoop Urban and Keetmanshoop RuralEstablished14 April 1866Government • TypeMunicipality • MayorFrancis Melody Swartbooi (LPM) • Deputy MayorMacDonald Hanse (LPM)Population (2023) • Total27,862Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)Postal code9000Area code063ClimateBWh Keetmanshoop is the administrative capital of the ǁKaras Region in southern Namibia. It is named after Johann Keetman [de], a German industrialist and benefactor of the Rhenish Mission in the town. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023.

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[edit] Stamps for German South West Africa postmarked Keetmanshoop 1899 Before the colonial era as from 1810, the settlement was known as ǂNūǂgoaes, the Nama name given it by Kaptein Hendrik Tseib of the Kharo!oan or !Khara|gôan aka the Tseis, one of fourteen tribes of the indigenous Namakhoen or Nama of Namibia. The Afrikaans translation is Swartmodder. Both names mean "(place of) black mud" and refers to the presence of a spring which was rich in surface iron deposits in the area. Gaob Hendrik Tseib discovered the spring in 1808 near the Leeurivier about 40 km northeast of the Kharo!oan settlement when he and a few of his horsemen and four dogs went on a hunting expedition. The first white settler, Guilliam Visagie, arrived here in 1785. When in February 1850 the Kharoǃoan clan (Keetmanshoop Nama) split from the Red Nation, the main subtribe of the Nama people, they settled permanently in the area. In 1860 the Rhenish Missionary Society founded a mission there to christianise the local Nama people. The first missionary, Johann Georg Schröder, arrived in Keetmanshoop on April 14, 1866, which is now marked as the founding date of Keetmanshoop. The mission station was named after the German trader and director of the Rhenish Missionary Society, Johann Keetman [de], who supported the mission financially, although he never actually visited the place himself.

Geography

[edit] Close to Keetmanshoop is the Naute Dam and the Neckartal Dam, the largest dam in the country. Natural history[edit] Mesosaurus fossil found near Keetmanshoop Giant's Playground near Keetmanshoop The town is situated near two quiver tree forests, one of them being a national monument and a major tourist attraction of Namibia. It is also close to the Giant's Playground, a natural geological feature formed about 180 million years ago that consists of dolerite rocks that look as if they were stacked by giants. Near Keetsmanshoop are notable localities for fossil Mesosaurus, an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Climate[edit] Keetmanshoop has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with long, very hot summers and cool winters. The annual average rainfall is only 159 mm (6 in). Keetmanshoop is one of the sunniest places year-round on the planet with a mean sunshine duration over 3,870 hours yearly or 10.7 hours of sunshine daily, well above 87% of the time. The annual mean temperature is 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) with a mean annual high of 28.8 °C (83.8 °F) and a low of 13.3 °C (55.9 °F). The climate is characterised by sunshine and dryness as well as moderate heat all year long. A monument in Keetmanshoop, Namibia Climate data for Keetmanshoop Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 34.8(94.6) 34.0(93.2) 32.2(90.0) 28.8(83.8) 25.0(77.0) 21.7(71.1) 21.3(70.3) 23.5(74.3) 27.2(81.0) 30.1(86.2) 32.4(90.3) 34.5(94.1) 28.8(83.8) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 19.0(66.2) 19.3(66.7) 17.8(64.0) 14.4(57.9) 10.4(50.7) 7.0(44.6) 6.4(43.5) 7.5(45.5) 10.7(51.3) 13.7(56.7) 15.7(60.3) 17.6(63.7) 13.3(55.9) Average precipitation mm (inches) 24(0.9) 42(1.7) 36(1.4) 15(0.6) 5(0.2) 2(0.1) 1(0.0) 1(0.0) 3(0.1) 6(0.2) 11(0.4) 13(0.5) 159(6.1) Average relative humidity (%) 28 36 40 40 38 39 36 31 27 24 24 25 32 Mean monthly sunshine hours 353 300 312 306 304 287 305 323 319 343 348 370 3,870 Percentage possible sunshine 84 82 82 89 91 91 93 93 89 87 86 86 88 Source: Tabulation of Climate Statistics for Selected Stations in Namibia Demographics[edit] Historical populationYearPop.±% p.a.200115,778—    201119,447+2.11%202327,862+3.04%Sources:

Politics

[edit] Keetmanshoop is a municipality, governed by council that currently[update] comprises seven seats. In the 2010 local authority election, a total of 3,156 votes were cast in the city. SWAPO won with approximately 48% of the vote. Of the three other parties seeking votes in the election, Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) received approximately 35% of the vote, followed by the Democratic Party of Namibia (DPN, 10%) and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA, 7%). The 2015 local authority election was won by SWAPO by a much larger margin. SWAPO accumulated 2,337 votes and won five seats in the municipal council. DTA (538 votes) and RDP (186 votes) gained one seat each. The 2020 Namibian local authority election was won by LPM. LPM accumulated 3,619 votes and won five seats in the municipal council. SWAPO (1648 votes) gained two seats. Annelize Knaus served as the Mayor deputised by McDonald Hanse. For the 2025 Namibian local and regional elections, LPM accumulated 3,080 votes and won three seats in the municipal council. SWAPO with 3,064 which also gained three seats followed by IPC (339 votes) with one seat. Other parties such as Affirmative repositioning gained 307 votes, PDM gained 149 votes and UNP with 19 votes. Francis M. Swartbooi is currently serving as Mayor while Easter Isaack serving as the Chairperson of the Management committee.

Notable buildings and structures

[edit] The Rhenish Missionary Church was erected in 1895 and now also contains a museum. It was declared a historic monument in 1978 and is a well-known landmark. Its unique combination of Gothic Revival architecture cast in African stone makes it one of the architectural masterpieces in the country and a popular tourist attraction. Other notable buildings are the Schützenhaus (marksmen's club house, 1905–07), the railway station building (1908), the Eagle Monument and the Imperial Post Office (now the Keetmanshoop tourist information, erected in 1910).

Notable people

[edit] Anthony Antoncich (1917–1998), Royal Air Force pilot, born in Keetmanshoop Dawid Bezuidenhout (1935–1998), first chairman of the Transitional Government of National Unity, born in Keetmanshoop Hellmut von Leipzig (1921–2016), combat driver of Erwin Rommel, born in Keetmanshoop John Ya-Otto (1938–1994), member of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia and former ambassador to Angola, grew up in Keetmanshoop