Usakos

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Usakos
Okanduu
City

Seal
Motto: Excelsior
Usakos
Location in Namibia
Coordinates: 22°0′S 15°36′E / 22.000°S 15.600°E / -22.000; 15.600
Country  Namibia
Region Erongo Region
Constituency Karibib Constituency
Established 1900s
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 3,583
Time zone South African Standard Time (UTC+1)
Purpurite, a very rare phosphate of manganese, from Sandamab pegmatite, Usakos, Namibia. Size: 5.4 x 4.6 x 1.9 cm.

Usakos (Damara: grab the heel,[2] Otjiherero name: Okanduu[3]) is a city[4] on the banks of river Khan, 140 kilometres north-east of Swakopmund in the Erongo Region of Namibia. It is located on the B2 (Trans-Kalahari Highway), the main road between the Walvis Bay and Johannesburg. The town has 3,000 inhabitants and owns 58 square kilometres (22 sq mi) of land.[5] Usakos is scheduled to be downgraded to "town" status before November 2010.[6]

Surrounded by mountains, Usakos is quite picturesque. Certain spots around the town show the longest uninterrupted horizon in the world.[2] It is the closest town to the Spitzkoppe, often referred to as the "Matterhorn of Namibia".[7]

History

The settlement was founded in the early 1900s as a workshop and watering station for locomotives. Herero chief Samuel Maharero sold the land to Europeans who resold it in 1903 to the Otavi Minen- und Eisenbahngesellschaft (Otavi Mining and Railway Company) (OMEG) which operated an industrial railway line from Swakopmund to Tsumeb. OMEG established a railway station and a repair shop which was used until the 1960s. When mining operations slowed down, Usakos' importance faded quickly. Today it is just a drive-through from the Namibian inland to the coast.[7]

Historic buildings and structures in Usakos are the Roman Catholic church (erected 1905), the now dilapidated railway station building, and the old hotel.[7]

Development and infrastructure

Usakos is riddled with poverty and alcohol abuse, the current unemployment rate is around 60%. Unlike other Namibian towns, it has not seen substantial development since independence in 1990.[8]

Usakos Railway Station connects the town to the Namibian railway network.

Politics

Local authority results, 2010

In the 2010 local authority election, a total of 1,029 votes were cast in the city. SWAPO won with approximately 47% of the vote. Of the three other parties seeking votes in the election, UDF received approximately 31% of the vote, followed by RDP (17%) and COD (4%).[9]

Notable residents

Usakos is the hometown of the following prominent politicians:[8]

See also

  • Railway stations in Namibia

References

  1. ↑ "Table 4.2.2 Urban population by Census years (2001 and 2011)". Namibia 2011 - Population and Housing Census Main Report. Namibia Statistics Agency. p. 39. Retrieved 10 September 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Henckert, Wolfgang (17 September 2009). "Usakos". Henckert Tourist Centre. 
  3. ↑ Menges, Werner (12 May 2005). "Windhoek?! Rather make that Otjomuise". The Namibian. 
  4. ↑ Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa
  5. ↑ "ELECTIONS 2010: Erongo regional profile". New Era. 16 November 2010. 
  6. ↑ Hartman, Adam (27 Aug 2010). "Town regrading a ‘sad move’". The Namibian. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 von Schmettau, Konny (28 February 2013). "Usakos-Kurze Blüte, schneller Fall" [Usakos-Short Rise, Fast Fall]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German) (Tourismus Namibia monthly supplement). p. 9. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ihuhua, Corry (12 September 2012). "Unemployment rips Usakos apart". Namibian Sun. 
  9. ↑ Local Authority Election Results for Usakos

Coordinates: 22°00′S 15°36′E / 22.000°S 15.600°E / -22.000; 15.600

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