White Namibians
Total population | |
---|---|
124,000[1] | |
Languages | |
First Language Afrikaans (60%), German (32%), Portuguese (1%), English (7%) | |
Religion | |
Mainly Protestant Christianity, minorities practicing Judaism, Roman Catholicism or no religion |
White Namibians are people of European or Southern African birth or descent living in Namibia. Most white Namibians are Afrikaners, while some are descended from German, Portuguese, or English immigrants.
Distribution
The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia. Windhoek has by far the largest white population, and whites are a majority in the coastal city of Swakopmund. Other coastal cities such as Walvis Bay and Lüderitz also have large white populations. In general most of Namibia south of Windhoek has a high proportion of whites, while central Namibia has a high concentration of whites. Apart from Windhoek, coastal areas and Southern Namibia, there are large white communities in Otjiwarongo and towns in the Otavi Triangle, such as Tsumeb and Grootfontein. The 1981 census of the Republic of South Africa reported a white population of 76,430 in Namibia (71 percent Afrikaners and 17 percent German-speaking).[2]
History
During Namibia's short German rule, the colony attracted German immigrants. Most Afrikaners settled during the Dorsland Trek, as well as during the apartheid years. Most Portuguese settled after Angola became independent in 1975.
Economics
About 4,000 commercial land owners, mostly whites, own over 50% of the arable land across the country despite a land reform process.[3] While the area was known as South West Africa, white Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation and white domination.[4]
Notable white Namibians
Politicians
Sportspeople
- Skipper Badenhorst
- Dan Craven
- Monica Dahl
- Trevor Dodds
- Jörg Lindemeier
- Percy Montgomery
- Friedhelm Sack
- Quinton-Steele Botes
- Ian van Zyl
- Jacques Burger
- Oliver Risser[5]
Fashion models
Writers
Farmers
See also
References
- ↑ "Namibia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture". Infoplease. Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ↑ http://www.jstor.org/stable/214466
- ↑ Namibians plan white farm grabs in BBC News, 5 November 2003
- ↑ Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now in the New York Times, 26 December 1988
- ↑ Risser, Namibia's White Warrior FIFA, 23 January 2008
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