Kaokoland

The Kaokoland (now usually called Kaokoland ) is a 50,000 km ² large arid region in north- western Namibia. From 1970 to 1989 she formed a Homeland in South Africa.

Geography

The Kaokoland is bordered to the west by the Skeleton Coast in the north to the border to Angola, the Kunene ( Epupa Falls ), Ruacana, on the east by the former Ovamboland (now Omusati Region) and on the south by the Damaraland. With less than 350 mm annual rainfall in the Kaokoland no agriculture is possible. The Himba and Herero living here live according to traditional hunting and gathering or ranchers.

For Kaokoland include the following environments:

• Etendeka,
• Giraffes mountains,
• Hartmann mountains,
• Joubert mountains,
• Onjuwaebene,
• Otjihipaberge and
• Steilrand mountains.

Opuwo is 7,900 inhabitants, the only city of the Kaokoveld; the place Sesfontein completes the Kaokoland in the south.

History

The Kaokoland was acquired by the Bremen merchant Adolf Lüderitz of natives even before the establishment of German South West Africa and was therefore no concession land. In 1885 he sold his acquisitions to more than one buyer in turn, their rights by October 10, 1885 to the German Colonial Club - it was 1887, the German Colonial Society - transferred.

On August 12, 1893, the company L. Hirsch & Co. acquired the then specified with 100,000 square kilometers area and founded on 11 April 1895, the Kaoko Land and Mining Company, headquartered in Berlin. The company tried unsuccessfully to tap the vast territory economically and financed this in 1894, 1895, 1897 (conducted by Georg Hartmann) as well as 1906 and 1910 expeditions. Recently discovered two iron ore deposits that could be but not eliminated due to lack of transport facilities. After the end of the First World War, the company was expropriated by the Union of South Africa.

In the Odendaal Plan in 1964, the Kaokoland was provided as part of the apartheid policy of the South African government as a Homeland for the Himba. From 1970 to 1989, has held this status.

Flora and Fauna

The Kaokoland is known for its consistent through anti-poaching now back rich wildlife, including the more frequently occurring rhinos (not least a merit of the " Save the Rhino Trust") and desert elephants. It is unclear whether this is already a separate subspecies or a sedentary there for decades and customized group of African elephants. Their behavior differs in many respects from that of their counterparts living in the African savannas. The inaccessibility of the area on the one hand and the fight against poaching other hand, have led to a steady increase in the elephant population in Kaokoland. In some places, make good any damage caused by the elephants a problem dar. Some elephants were shot after tourists had come through them to harm.

Traffic

Away from the few main compounds are driving on the road four-wheel vehicles and GPS navigation necessary. The Van Zyl's Pass is to cope with off-road driver only in east-west direction. A better alternative route to be traveled by Okongwati leads to the Epupa Falls. Also, this route can be used only at low speed.

Gallery

Herero woman in Kaokoland

Van Zyl's Pass