Rehoboth, Namibia
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Rehoboth is a town in central Namibia. Located on the B1 road, 90 kilometres south of the Namibian capital Windhoek, Rehoboth lies on a high elevation plateau with sparse rainfall, but with several natural hot-water springs. In 2005, it had a population of 21,378. Geo-coordinates: .
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[edit] Administration
Administratively, Rehoboth is classified as a town with its own council of 7 elected individuals.
Public amenities include a public hospital, primary and secondary schools and a district court with resident magistrate.
Rehoboth is divided into seven neighbourhoods, called blocks. The oldest part of the town is comprised of blocks A, B and C, whereby block B contains most public services and shops. Block D is home to the wealthiest inhabitants of the town. Block E is the poorest neighbourhood and was originally (under Apartheid) designated for blacks. Blocks F and G are the newest neighbourhoods.
The Oanob Dam, approximately six kilometres from Rehoboth, supplies the town with fresh water. The majority of the population consists of Basters.
[edit] History
In prehistoric times the area of the present day Rehoboth town was inhabited by Nama (Khoikhoi) groups who called it !Anis meaning smoke; referring to the cloud of condensed water vapour hanging over the hot springs in the morning.
The missionary Heinrich Kleinschmidt of the German Rhenish Missionary Society named the place Rehoboth in 1845, when a mission was established among the resident Nama (Khoikhoi). In 1864, the Nama, as a result of war, abandoned the area.
In 1870, the Basters, who had migrated out of the Cape Colony in 1868 moved into the territory and were granted permission to settle at Rehoboth by the participants of the peace conference of Okahandja on 23 September 1870. In a few years, the Basters were closely linked to the town of Rehoboth and became identified as Rehoboth Basters or Rehobothers. The population increased rapidly from an initial number of 333 in 1870, 800 in 1874 and 1500 by 1885. The growing Baster population settled in the surrounding areas, which would become known as the Rehoboth Gebiet (meaning ‘area’).
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