ǁKaras Region

"Karas Region" redirects here. Not to be confused withKara Region.

ǁKharas Region
Region
Location of the ǁKharas Region inNamibia
Coordinates:
Country	Namibia
Capital	Keetmanshoop
Government
• Governor	Aletta Fredericks
Area
• Total	161,514 km2(62,361 sq mi)
Population (2023 census)
• Total	109,893
• Density	0.68/km2(1.8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2(CAT)
HDI(2017)	0.687 medium·3rd
Website	karasrc.gov.na

Aerial video ofFish River Canyon,Kolmanskop Ghost Town,and the town ofLüderitz,all located in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia.

TheǁKharas Region(pronounced/ᵏǁʰa.ɾas/,with alateral click,former name Karas Region, without the click) is the southernmost, largest, and least densely populated of the 14regions of Namibia;its capital isKeetmanshoop.The name assigned to the region reflects the prominence of theKaras mountain rangein its southern part. The ǁKharas region contains the municipality of Keetmanshoop, the townsKarasburg,LüderitzandOranjemund,and the self-governed villagesAroab,Berseba,Bethanie,KoësandTses.

ǁKharas' western border is the shores of theAtlantic Ocean.Its location in Namibia's south means that it shares a long border in the south and east with theNorthern CapeProvince of South Africa. Domestically, it borders only theHardap Region,to the north.

Politics

As of 2020, ǁKharas had 56,352 registered voters.The name of this region wasKaras Region(without thealveolar lateral clickof theKhoekhoegowablanguage) since Namibian independence in 1990. In an effort to consolidate spelling, it was renamed toǁKharas Regionin October 2015.

Constituencies

The region is subdivided into sevenelectoral constituencies:

• Berseba
• Karasburg East(created 2013 from a split ofKarasburg Constituency)
• Karasburg West(created 2013 from a split of Karasburg Constituency)
• Keetmanshoop Rural
• Keetmanshoop Urban
• ǃNamiǂNûs(formerly Lüderitz Constituency)
• Oranjemund

Presidential elections

As in all other regions,SWAPOwas by far the strongest political party sinceNamibian independence.In the2004 presidential election,the region supported SWAPO'sHifikepunye Pohambawith 65% of the votes. No other candidate received more than 10%.

Regional elections

In the2004 regional electionfor theNational Assembly of Namibia,SWAPO won all six constituencies.

In the2015 regional elections,SWAPO obtained 83% of the total votes (2010:64%)and won all seven constituencies.In the2020 regional electiontheLandless People's Movement(LPM, an opposition party formed in 2016) narrowly became the strongest party. It obtained 39% of votes overall and won four of the seven constituencies, SWAPO got 36% and won the remaining three.

Governors

• Dawid Boois(2004-)
• Bernadus Swartbooi(until 2015)
• Lucia Basson(2015–2020)
• Aletta Fredericks(2020–present)

Economy and infrastructure

The region is predominantly a small stock-farming area, the stock mostly consisting of animals such as sheep or goats. Game farming and irrigation farming along theNaute Damand the Orange River have gained significantly in importance.

Notable places in the region include the harbour town of Lüderitz and itsfishingand boat-building industry, the diamond areas along the coast—both on- and off shore—withOranjemundas the main centre, mining enterprises in the southern part ofNamibiasuch as theHaib mine,(Klein Karas area, Rosh Pinah), the Kudu Gas field in theAtlantic OceannearLüderitz,and small-scale industries in Lüderitz andKeetmanshoop.

The Hot Water Springs atAi-Ais,the Hot Water Springs in Warmbad, the Kokerboom Forest (Quiver Tree Forest) near Keetmanshoop, theFish River Canyon(the second-largest in the world), theBrukkarosMountain (a former volcano) near Berseba, the coastal town Lüderitz, and several guest and game farms have become important tourist attractions. The tourism industry has the potential for further expansion.

Fish River Canyon - Namibia

Quivertree Forest - Namibia

The economic growth potential of the area is considerable, but needs an intensive general development policy. It is a profitable tax-generating area, which predominantly comes fromdiamondminingfor the central government.

The main railway line and two main trunk roads give access to South Africa. Keetmanshoop is considered as the capital of the south and has direct air, railway, and road links withWindhoek.Its airport is of international standards and suitable for international air traffic. There is an airfield at Kolmanskop near Lüderitz. Well-developed landing facilities also exist at Oranjemund.

ǁKharas has 49 schools with a total of 20,110 pupils.

Demographics

According to the Namibia 2001 Population and Housing Census, ǁKharas had a population of 69,329 (32,346 females and 36,976 males or 114 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 1.3%. Thefertility ratewas 3.1 children per woman. About 54% lived in urban areas, while 46% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 161,215 km²,the population density was 0.4 persons per km².Classified by age, 11% of the population was under 5 years old, 20% between 5 and 14 years, 63% between 15 and 59 years, and 6% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 15,481 households, with an average size of 4.1 persons; 35% of households had a female head of house, while 65% had a male as head. For those 15 years and older, 69% had never married, 20% married with certificate, 2% married traditionally, 5% married consensually, 1% were divorced or separated, and 2% were widowed.

The most commonly spoken languages at home wereAfrikaans(40% of households),Nama/Damara(26%) andOshiwambo(23%). For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 87%. Nearly 45% of the population are from coloured and white Namibian groups. In terms of education, 52% of girls and 48% of boys between the ages of 6 and 15 were attending school, and of those 15 years and older, 77% had left school, 7% were currently at school, and 7% had never attended.

In 2001, the employment rate for the labor force (67% of those 15+) was 71% employed and 29% unemployed. For those 15 years old or older and not in the labor force (24%), 28% were students, 40% homemakers, and 32% retired or unable to work.According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the ǁKaras Region stood at 23.9%. The two studies are methodologically not comparable.

Among households, 94% hadsafe water,26% no toilet facility, 50% electricity for lighting, 81% access toradio,and 35% had wood or charcoal for cooking. In terms of households' main sources of income, 7% derived it from farming, 69% from wages and salaries, 6% cash remittances, 5% from business or nonfarming, and 10% from pension.

For every 1,000 live births, 37 female and 56 male infant deaths occurred. The life expectancy at birth was 61 years for females and 54 for males. Among children younger than 15, 4% had lost a mother, 6% a father, and 1% were orphaned by both parents. About 3% of the entire population had a disability, of which 22% were deaf, 29% blind, 10% had a speech disability, 13% a hand disability, 27% a leg disability, and 7% a mental disability.

External links

• Official websiteǁKharas Regional Council