Shark Island (Namibia)

Geographical location

Shark Iceland ( German Shark Island ) is a small peninsula on the coast of Namibia in the South Atlantic. It is located in the Lüderitz. By an artificial land bridge in the south to the mainland in the town of Lüderitz the former island to the peninsula. The northern end of the island forms the so-called Haifischriff ( reef ). One kilometer north of it is Penguin Iceland, which, as previously the former island, is counted among the Penguin Islands.

With the opposite at a distance 330-990 meters in the east mainland coast of the Shark Island forms a natural harbor, the Robert harbor.

Shark Iceland is from north to south 1700 meters long and up to 330 meters wide. The area is about 0.4 km ². The ( semi-) island doubled its area through the 1906 artificially created land bridge. Prior to the erection of the land bridge the distance to the nearest mainland totaled approximately 400 meters.

On the island there is a lighthouse, the Lüderitz Monument ( with an inscription by Franz Adolf Lüderitz) and a campground.

History

Shark Iceland hosted from 1904 to 1912, a hospital, as well as a concentration and internment camps, in which were captured during the Namakrieges 2,000 taken Orlam and Nama with their families kept imprisoned. Approximately three-quarters of all prisoners, sources say 3500 people came through the ruling here poor hygiene and weather conditions and systematic malnutrition in connection with work lives. Some of the bodies were transferred for racial research purposes to Berlin. The camp was run by the Rhenish Mission and moved later to vigorous urging of missionaries and responsible officers inland and closed later.

As of September 26, 1906 the Port Authority of the prisoners of war explosions and embankments on the south side of the island was making, through which the island to the peninsula.