The North-West District or Ngamiland is one of the
first-level administrative subdivisions of
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
. For census and administrative purposes Ngamiland is subdivided into Ngamiland East, Ngamiland West and Ngamiland Delta (Okavango).
It is governed by a District Commissioner, appointed by the national government, and the elected North-West District Council. The administrative centre is
Maun.
As of 2011, the total population of the district was 175,631 compared to 142,970 in 2001. The growth rate of population during the decade was 2.08. The total number of workers constituted 32,471 with 16,852 males and 15,621 females, with a majority of them involved in agriculture.
Maun, the
Tsodilo Hills
The Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), consisting of rock art, rock shelters, depressions, and caves in southern Africa. It gained its WHS listing in 2001 because of its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peo ...
, the
Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi Game Reserve is a protected area in Botswana. It lies on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe. Moremi was designated as a game reserve, rather than a national park, when it was ...
, the
Gchwihaba (Drotsky's) Caves, the Aha Hills (on the border with
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
), the Nhabe Museum in Maun, and Maun Educational Park are the major tourist attractions in the district.
History
In the late 18th century, the
Tswana people
The Tswana ( tn, Batswana, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the pop ...
, primarily herders, began expanding northward into what is now called Ngamiland. A sub-chiefdom, called Tawana out of Ngwato, was established there. In 1885 when the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
established the
Bechuanaland Protectorate
The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a protectorate established on 31 March 1885, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) in Southern Africa. It became the Republi ...
, the northern boundary was 22° south latitude. On 30 June 1890, the northern boundary of the protectorate was formally extended northward by the British to include Ngamiland, which at the time was still under the Tawana, who by then recognized the authority of
Khama III
Khama III (1837?–1923), referred to by missionaries as Khama the Good also called Khama the Great, was the ''Kgosi'' (meaning king) of the Bangwato people.
Ancestry and Youth
Malope a chief of the Bakwena, led his people from the Transvaal r ...
. British officials did not arrive in the Ngamiland region until 1894. Ngamiland was administered as Bechuanaland's northwestern corner and primary contact point with
German South West Africa
German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...
via the
Caprivi Strip
The Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi, is a geographic salient protruding from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It is surrounded by Botswana to the south and Angola and Zambia to the north. Namibia, Botswana and Zambia meet at a s ...
.
In 1966 the North-West District was established which included both Ngamiland and
Chobe; however, in 2006, Chobe District was again separated out.
Geography
![Maun 23](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Maun_23.42084E_20.00779S.jpg)
The region has an average elevation of around above the mean sea level. The vegetation type is
Savannah, with tall grasses, bushes and trees. The annual precipitation is around , most of which is received during the summer season from November to May.
North-West District shares its borders with the following foreign areas:
Omaheke Region, Namibia in southwest,
Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia in west,
Kavango East Region, Namibia in northwest and
Zambezi Region, Namibia in north. Domestically, it borders
Central District in southeast,
Ghanzi District
Ghanzi (sometimes Gantsi) is a district in western Botswana, bordering Namibia in the west and extending east into much of the interior of the country. The district's administrative centre is the town of Ghanzi. Most of the eastern half of Ghanzi ...
in southwest and
Chobe District
Chobe District is an administrative district in the northern part of Botswana, with the headquarters in Kasane. In 2001 it was merged with Ngamiland, and until 2006 it shared with Ngamiland the North-West District Council as local government. Cho ...
in the east.
Like most of Botswana, it consists of partially
dissected
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause ...
tablelands, in this case sloping down from the Kaukau Veld that lies to the northwest. This flow and the
Okavango River
The Okavango River (formerly spelled Okovango or Okovanggo), Also known as the Cubango River, is a river in southwest Africa. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for . It begins at an elevation of in ...
drain into the mostly
endorheic
An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...
. The delta seasonally overflows into the endorheic
Lake Ngami
Lake Ngami is an endorheic lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari Desert. It is seasonally filled by the Taughe River, an effluent of the Okavango River system flowing out of the western side of the Okavango Delta. It is one of the fragmented remn ...
to the south, and into the
Thamalakane River
The Thamalakane River is a river located in Botswana, Africa, at the southern end of the Okavango Delta. It has no well defined beginning ( spring) and no clear end ( delta). It is the result of the Thamalakane fault - which began to form about ...
which via the
Boteti River feeds the
Makgadikgadi salt pans to the southeast. Most of the rivers in the region are seasonal, and subject to
flash floods. Maun, the
Tsodilo Hills
The Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS), consisting of rock art, rock shelters, depressions, and caves in southern Africa. It gained its WHS listing in 2001 because of its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peo ...
,
Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi Game Reserve is a protected area in Botswana. It lies on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the BaTawana tribe. Moremi was designated as a game reserve, rather than a national park, when it was ...
,
Gchwihaba (Drotsky's) Caves, Aha Hills, Nhabe Museum and Maun Educational Park are the major tourist attractions in the district.
Demographics
As of 2011, the total population of the district was 175,631 compared to 142,970 in 2001. The growth rate of population during the decade was 2.08. The population in the district was 8.67 per cent of the total population in the country. The sex ratio stood at 95.11 for every 100 males, compared to 93.43 in 2001. The average house hold size was 3.27 in 2011 compared to 4.49 in 2001. There were 5,437 craft and related workers, 2,290 clerks, 8,777 people working in elementary occupation 1,117 Legislators, Administrators & managers 2,974 Plant & machine operators and assemblers, 856 professionals, 5,812 service workers, shop & market sales workers, 2,398 skilled agricultural & related workers 2,069 technicians and associated professionals, making the total work force to 31,915.
Education and economy
![Red and White Rock Art Tsodilo Botswana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Red_and_White_Rock_Art_Tsodilo_Botswana.jpg)
As of 2011, there were a total of 071 schools in the district, with 8.30 per cent private schools. The total number of students in the Council schools was 28,101, while it was 940 in private schools. The total number of students enrolled in the district was 29,041: 14,190 girls and 14,851 boys. The total number of qualified teachers was 1,070, 658 female and 412 male. There were around 27 temporary teachers, 13 male and 40 female. There were 6 untrained teachers in the district.
As of 2006, 12,737 were involved in agriculture, 1,131 in construction, 2,090 in education, 177 in electricity and water, 88 in finance, 1,000 in health, 1,144 in hotels and restaurants, 1,450 in manufacturing, 403 in other community services, 1,455 in private households, 4,722 in public administration, 932 in real estate, 730 in transport and communications, and 4,412 in wholesale and retail trade. The total number of workers was 32,471, 16,852 male and 15,621 female.
Administration
![Equus quagga in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, -12 Nov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Equus_quagga_in_Moremi_Game_Reserve%2C_Botswana%2C_-12_Nov._2011_a.jpg)
By far the largest settlement in the district is Maun, which had a population of over 60,000 in 2011 census.
The following is the list of villages noted separately in the 2001 census in each census region.
* Ngamiland East has
Bodibeng
Bodibeng is a village in North-West District of Botswana. It is located in the southern part of the district, close to the Okavango Delta and Lake Ngami
Lake Ngami is an endorheic lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari Desert. It is seasona ...
,
Botlhatlogo,
Chanoga,
Habu
is a Ryukyuan and Japanese name referring to certain venomous snakes:
* The following species are found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan:
** '' Protobothrops elegans'', a.k.a. the Sakishima habu, found in the southern Ryukyu Islands
** ''Protoboth ...
,
Kareng,
Kgakge/Makakung,
Komana
Komana is a village in North-West District of Botswana. It is located close to the Okavango Delta and Lake Ngami
Lake Ngami is an endorheic lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari Desert. It is seasonally filled by the Taughe River, an effl ...
,
Mababe
Mababe is a village in North-West District of Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, w ...
,
Makalamabedi
Makalamabedi is a village in North-West District of Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically f ...
,
Matlapana,
Maun,
Phuduhudu,
Sehithwa
Sehithwa is a village in North-West District (Botswana), North-West District of Botswana. It is located in the southern part of the district, close to Lake Ngami. The population was 1,478 in 2001 census.
References
North-West District (B ...
,
Semboyo
Semboyo is a village in North-West District of Botswana. It is located in the southern part of the district, close to the Okavango Delta and Lake Ngami
Lake Ngami is an endorheic lake in Botswana north of the Kalahari Desert. It is seasonal ...
,
Sankuyo,
Shorobe,
Toteng,
Tsao villages.
* Ngamiland West has
Beetsha,
Etsha 6,
Etsha 13,
Gani,
Gonutsuga,
Gumare
Gumare or Gomare is a rural village located in the North-West District of Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The population of Gumare was 6,067 in 2001 census, but had risen to 8,532 iby the 2011 census.
Gumare is served by Gumare Airport.
Fou ...
,
Ikoga
Ikoga is a village in North-West District (Botswana), North-West District of Botswana. It is located close to Okavango Delta and has a primary school. The population was 699 in 2001 census.
References
North-West District (Botswana)
Vill ...
,
Kauxwhi,
Mohembo East,
Mohembo West,
Mokgacha,
Ngarange,
Nokaneng
Nokaneng is a village in North-West District, Botswana. It is located close to the Okavango Delta, and is served by Nokaneng Airport. The population of Nokaneng was 1,590 in 2001 census.
The people
The people therein are the Bayei, Basarwa ...
,
Nxamasere
Nxamasere is a village in North-West District of Botswana. It is located along the Okavango river, close to the Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swam ...
,
Nxaunxau,
Qangwa,
Sepopa
Sepopa is a village in North-West District of Botswana. It is located close to the beginning of the Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta f ...
,
Seronga,
Shakawe
Shakawe is a village located in the northwest corner of Botswana at the beginning of the Okavango Delta, close to Namibia and Angola. Shakawe is awakening from its former status as a sleepy little outpost on the Okavango. For travellers, Shakawe ...
,
Tobere,
Tubu
Tubu is a village in North-West District of Botswana, 10 kilometers due east of Gumare village. It is located close to the Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana i ...
,
Xakao,
Xaxa,
Xhauga villages.
* Delta region has
Daonara,
Ditshiping,
Jao,
Katamaga,
Morutsha,
Xaxaba villages. In the 2011 census the population figures for the delta were included in the totals of Ngamiland East.
When Botswana gained independence from the British in 1966, they adapted the colonial administration framework to form its district administration. The policies were modified between 1970 and 1974 to address impediments to rural development.
The district administration, a district council, and the Okavango subdistrict council are responsible for local administration. The policies for the administration are framed by the Ministry of Local Government. The major activities of the district council are Tribal Administration, Remote Area Development and Local Governance. The executive powers of the council are vested in a commissioner appointed by the central government. The technical services wing of the Department of Local Government is responsible for developing roads and the infrastructure in villages such as water supply, schools and recreational facilities. All local administration staff, except the District Administration staff itself, are selected via centralised services of the North West District Council, with the Ministry of Local Government being responsible for their training, deployment and career development. The sub-districts of North-West/Ngamiland District are Ngamiland East (aka Ngamiland South, headquarters Maun), Ngamiland West (aka Ngamiland North) and Okavango, also called Ngamiland Delta, (headquarters
Gumare
Gumare or Gomare is a rural village located in the North-West District of Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The population of Gumare was 6,067 in 2001 census, but had risen to 8,532 iby the 2011 census.
Gumare is served by Gumare Airport.
Fou ...
).
Towns and villages
Population 50,000+
*
Maun
Population 10,000+
*
Gumare
Gumare or Gomare is a rural village located in the North-West District of Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The population of Gumare was 6,067 in 2001 census, but had risen to 8,532 iby the 2011 census.
Gumare is served by Gumare Airport.
Fou ...
*
Shakawe
Shakawe is a village located in the northwest corner of Botswana at the beginning of the Okavango Delta, close to Namibia and Angola. Shakawe is awakening from its former status as a sleepy little outpost on the Okavango. For travellers, Shakawe ...
See also
*
Sub-districts of Botswana
References
{{Authority control
Districts of Botswana