Oshikoto Region

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Oshikoto Region
Region
Location of the Oshikoto Region in Namibia
Country Namibia
Capital Tsumeb (-2008), Omuthiya (2008-present)
Government
 • Governor Penda yaNdakolo[1]
Area[2]
 • Total 38,685 km2 (14,936 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 181,600
 • Density 4.7/km2 (12/sq mi)
Time zone South African Standard Time: UTC+1

Oshikoto is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Omuthiya. The northern part of the region is agricultural, whereas the main economic activities in the southern part are cattle rearing and mining. The two areas have important cultural and historical links in that the Ndonga people have extracted copper at Tsumeb since the earliest times in order to make rings and tools.

Oshikoto is one of only three regions without either a shoreline or a foreign border. It borders the following regions:

This region comprises eleven constituencies: Eengodi, Guinas, Nehale lyaMpingana, Okankolo, Olukonda, Omuntele, Omuthiyagwiipundi, Onayena, Oniipa, Onyaanya, and Tsumeb.

Economy and infrastructure

Pearl millet (Mahangu) is the principal crop in the north, while cattle are reared in the Mangetti and the Tsumeb district. Although the Tsumeb mine has only a limited life span, it can together with the associated support industries and services, provide a boost for the communal areas of the region.

Communication are good in much of the area: a paved trunk road runs across the region, linking it to both the south and the north of the country. The national microwave network terminates at Tsumeb, but telecommunications are now carried across the region and as far as Oshakati by means of a newly laid optical fiber cable.

According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Oshikoto Region is 26.4%.[4] Oshikoto has 200 schools with a total of 60,439 pupils.[5]

Demographics

The region's population has grown significantly over recent years, partly as a result of redistribution within the Oshiwambo speaking area. Apart from Tsumeb and Oniipa, people have settled in a corridor along the trunk road, sometimes forming quite dense concentrations.

References

  1. ↑ Nawatiseb, Engel. "Oshikoto governor creates awareness". pp. New Era. Retrieved 27 January 2014. 
  2. ↑ "Namibia's Population by Region". Election Watch (Institute for Public Policy Research) (1): 3. 2013. 
  3. ↑ Smit, Nico (12 April 2012). "Namibia’s population hits 2,1 million". The Namibian. 
  4. ↑ Duddy, Jo Maré (11 April 2013). "Unemployment rate still alarmingly high". The Namibian. 
  5. ↑ Miyanicwe, Clemans; Kahiurika, Ndanki (27 November 2013). "School counsellors overstretched". The Namibian. p. 1. 
Constituencies in the Oshikoto Region of Namibia

Coordinates: 18°30′S 17°00′E / 18.500°S 17.000°E / -18.500; 17.000

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