Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay

Infobox Settlement
name =Walvis Bay
official_name =
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imagesize =
image_caption = Aerial photo of the harbour area


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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within Namibia
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = flag|Namibia
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Erongo Region
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
seat_type =
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government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =Mayor
leader_name =Ulika Nambahu
leader_title1 =
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established_title = Established
established_date = 1840
area_magnitude =
unit_pref =Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 =1124
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population_total =65000
population_density_km2 =30.4
population_density_sq_mi =65.2
timezone = SAST
utc_offset = +2
timezone_DST =
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coor_type =
latd=22 |latm=57 |lats=22 |latNS=S
longd=14 |longm=30 |longs=29 |longEW=E
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Walvis Bay (Dutch/Afrikaans "Walvisbaai", German "Walfischbucht" or "Walfischbai", all meaning "Whale Bay"), is a port in Namibia and 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 rich in plankton and marine life, these waters 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. 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.

History

[
South Africa before the handover to Namibia] The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias anchored his flagship "São Cristóvão" in 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 in the city 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 convert|434|sqmi|0.

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. It was not until midnight on 28 February 1994 that sovereignty over Walvis Bay was formally transferred to Namibia.

ee also

*SAS Walvisbaai

Literature

* Silverman, Melinda: [http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=1852"Between the Atlantic and the Namib. An Environmental History of Walvis Bay"] , NWG, Windhoek 2004 - Namibiana Buchdepot
* de Beer, Charles: [http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=519"Namibia Marine Life"] , @tidude Graphix, Swakopmund o.J. - Namibiana Buchdepot
* Heemstra, Phillip; Smith, Margaret M.: [http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=2015"Smith's Sea Fishes"] , Struik Publishers, Cape Town 2003
* Bridgeford, P. and M.: [http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=624"Cape Cross"] , Walvis Bay 2002 - Namibiana Buchdepot
* Vogt, Andreas: [http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=ViewDetails&ItemID=2220"National Monuments in Namibia"] , Gamsberg Macmillan, Windhoek 2004 - Namibiana Buchdepot

External links

* [http://www.pgoimages.com/gallery.php?gall=g_namibia_swakopmund Images from Walvis Bay]
* [http://www.kuisebonline.com Activities from Walvis Bay]
* [http://www.ports.co.za/walvis-bay.php Walvisbay Port Information]
* [http://www.walvisbaycc.org.na/ Walvis Bay City Council]
* [http://africa.cwsurf.de/WalvisBay.htm Walvis Bay Airport Information]
* [http://www.info.gov.za/acts/1993/a203-93.pdf Transfer of Walvis Bay To Namibia Act, 1993]

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Walvis Bay — [wôl′vis] [< Du walvis, whale < MDu walvisc < wal, WHALE1 + visc, akin to OE fisc, FISH] 1. inlet of the Atlantic, on the coast of Namibia 2. seaport in W Namibia, on this inlet: pop. 21,000: the city & surrounding area were formerly… …   English World dictionary

  • Walvis Bay — ou Walfish Bay ( Baie des baleines ) territoire de la Namibie; 1 124 km²; 25 000 hab. Bien qu englobé dans la Namibie, il appartint à la rép. d Afrique du Sud jusqu en 1994. Port de pêche et de comm. (exportation de minerais). Base militaire …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Walvis Bay —   [ wɔlvɪs beɪ], Hafenstadt in Namibia, Walfischbai …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Walvis Bay — Details …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Walvis Bay — Coordenadas: 22°57′27″S 14°30′19″E /  22.9575, 14.50528 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Walvis Bay — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Walvis Bay (homonymie). Walvis Bay Walfischbucht (de) / Walvisbaai …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Walvis Bay — /wawl vis/ 1. an inlet of the S Atlantic Ocean, on the coast of Namibia, in SW Africa. 2. a seaport on this inlet. 3. an exclave of the Republic of South Africa around this seaport. 42,234; 347 sq. mi. (899 sq. km). Also, Walfish Bay. * * * Town… …   Universalium

  • Walvis Bay — (Walvisbaai) ► Territorio de la República de Sudáfrica, enclave de Namibia en la prov. de El Cabo; 1 124 km2 y 21 725 h. Cap., la c. homónima. * * * Puerto (pob. est., 2001: 40.849 hab.), del centro oeste de Namibia, situado en la bahía del mismo …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Walvis Bay — Original name in latin Walvis Bay Name in other language Gorad Uolvis Behj, Uolfish Bej, Uolfish Bej, Valvis Bej, Volfis Bej, Volvis Bejus, Volvis Bjus, WVB, Walfisch Bucht Niederland, Walfischbucht, Walvis Bay, Walvisbaai, jing wan gang, uWalvis …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Walvis Bay — geographical name town & port W Namibia on Walvis Bay (inlet of the Atlantic) W of Windhoek; formerly an exclave of Republic of South Africa forming a district area (of district) 434 square miles (1124 square kilometers) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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