Walvis Bay, Namibia

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Walvis Bay is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies.

The bay has been a haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater
harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural
harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and
marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of whales attracting
whalers and fishing vessels. The Dutch referred to it as Walvisch Baye and
the English as Whale Bay, and in its eventual proclamation it came to be
called Walfish Bay, and eventually Walvis Bay. It has also been referred to
as Walwich Bay or Walwisch Bay.

A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this
strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value in relation to the sea
route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers
since it was discovered. This explains the complicated political status of
Walvis Bay down the years.

The town is situated in the Kuiseb river delta and lies at the end of the
TransNamib Railway to Windhoek, and on the B2 road.

Walvis Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is the tourism activity
centre of Namibia. Other attractions include the artificial Bird Island,
centre of a guano collection industry, the Dune 7 sand dune, salt works,
birdlife and a museum. Kuisebmund Stadium, home to two clubs in the Namibia
Premier League, is also located in the city and the beach resort of
Langstrand lies just a few kilometers north. The Walvis Bay Export
Processing Zone is an important facet of the local economy.

History

The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias anchored his flagship São Cristóvão
in what is now Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover
a sea route to the East via the Cape of Good Hope. He named the bay "O Golfo
de Santa Maria da Conceição." However, the Portuguese did not formally stake
a claim to Walvis Bay.

Little commercial development occurred on the site until 1840, when in the
scramble for Africa, Britain, the dominant seafaring nation at the time,
annexed Walvis Bay and a small area surrounding the territory in 1878 as
part of Cape Colony both to forestall German ambitions in the region and to
ensure safe passage of British ships around the Cape. In 1910, Walvis Bay,
as well as the Cape Colony, became part of the newly formed Union of South
Africa. However, a dispute arose with Germany over the enclave's boundaries.
This was eventually settled in 1911 and Walvis Bay was allocated an area of
434 square miles (1,124 km2).

The enclave was overrun by the Germans during the South-West Africa Campaign
early in World War I. But South African Forces eventually ousted the Germans
in 1915 and Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law
regime established in South-West Africa. South Africa was later awarded
control (a "C" class mandate) over South-West Africa by the League of
Nations to administer SWA as an integral part of South Africa. Civilian rule
was restored in South-West Africa in 1921 and administration of Walvis Bay
was transferred to SWA by Act of the South African parliament in 1922.

In 1971, anticipating an imminent ceding of its control over South-West
Africa, South Africa transferred control of Walvis Bay back to its Cape
Province. In 1977, in an attempt to avoid losing control of Walvis Bay to a
possibly hostile SWAPO-led government, the South African government
reimposed direct rule and reasserted its claim of sovereignty based on the
original annexation. In 1978, the United Nations Security Council provided
for bilateral negotiations between South Africa and a future Namibia to
resolve the political status of Walvis Bay.

In 1990 South-West Africa gained independence as Namibia but Walvis Bay
remained under South African sovereignty. At midnight on 28 February 1994
sovereignty over
Walvis Bay was formally transferred to Namibia, and also over the Penguin
Islands.

Climate

Walvis Bay features the very rare mild variation of the arid climate. Walvis
Bay receives an average of only 83 mm of precipitation per year, making it
one of the driest cities on the planet. Despite the fact that it has an arid
climate, Walvis Bay seldom gets very hot or very cold, an extremely unusual
feature for a city featuring this climate. This is primarily due to cold
offshore currents near Walvis Bay. Temperatures averages around 24°C during
January, Walvis Bay's warmest month and around 17°C during July, its coldest
month.