White Namibians

White Namibians
Total population
c. 75,000[1]–100,000[2]
Languages
First language
Afrikaans (60%), German (32%), English (7%), Portuguese (1%)
Religion
Mainly Protestant Christianity, with minorities practicing Judaism, Roman Catholicism or no religion
Related ethnic groups
White South Africans (primarily Afrikaners)

White Namibians are people of European birth or descent living in Namibia. The majority of white Namibians are Afrikaners, with a large minority being Germans, who colonized Namibia in the 1890s. Many are also Portuguese or English immigrants. Current estimates of the white Namibian population run between 75,000[1] and 100,000.[2] This discrepancy in data is because the Namibian government no longer collects data based on race.

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).[3]

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 Angolan-born Portuguese settled after Angola became independent in 1975.

Economics

About 4,000 commercial land owners, mostly whites, own around 50% of the arable land across the country despite a land reform process.[4] According to the FAO, around 42% of arable land was owned by whites at the time of independence.[5] While the area was known as South West Africa, white Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation.[6]

Notable White Namibians

Behati Prinsloo

Politicians

Businesspeople

Sportspeople

Fashion models

Writers

Farmers

Scientists

Population chart

White population of Namibia, 1965–2003
Government Year White

population

 Total

population

 % White
German South

West Africa

(1884–1915)
South West

Africa, South

African

administration

(1915–1990)

 1918 13,400[9] 195,000* 7%
1919 6,700[10] 205,000* 3%
1921 19,432[11] 228,910[12] 8%
1933 10,000[10] 290,000* 3%
1958 66,000[11] 561,854[13] 12%
1965 68,000[14] 670,981[13] 10%
1981 76,430[3] 1,033,196[15] 7%
Republic of

Namibia (1990–)

 2011 75,000 – 120,000 2,113,077 4–7%

*estimate

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Namibian.org – retrieved 3rd February 2016
  2. 1 2 Namibia-Travel – retrieved 3rd February 2016
  3. 1 2 Weigend, Guido G. (April 1985). "German Settlement Patterns in Namibia". Geographical Review. 75 (2): 156–169. JSTOR 214466.
  4. ↑ Namibians plan white farm grabs in BBC News, 5 November 2003
  5. ↑ Garcia, C. Tapia. "Land Reform / Réforme agraire / Reforma agraria /". Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now in the New York Times, 26 December 1988
  7. ↑ Risser, Namibia's White Warrior FIFA, 23 January 2008
  8. ↑ "Dr. Jakob van Zyl". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  9. ↑ Garvey, Marcus (1995-11-05). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. IX: Africa for the Africans June 1921 – December 1922. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520916821.
  10. 1 2 Hackl, Dietmar. "History of Namibia – The Independence". www.namib.info. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  11. 1 2 Jeremy, Silvester (2015-07-13). Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History. University of Namibia Press. ISBN 9789991642277.
  12. ↑ "An atlas of Namibia's population: monitoring and understanding its characteristics" (PDF). Namibia Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010.
  13. 1 2 "Namibia Population 1950 – 2050". www.bluemarblecitizen.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  14. ↑ "Namibia Virtual Jewish History Tour | Jewish Virtual Library". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
  15. ↑ "Population – Namibia – Africa". www.countriesquest.com. Retrieved 2015-09-02.
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