The National Archives of Namibia (NAN) is the national archives of

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 ...

, located in

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

. It was established in 1939 and shares a building with the

National Library of Namibia The National Library of Namibia (NLN) is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia. The library is situated in Windhoek. NLN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education ...

. NAN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.

History

The Imperial German administration of

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 ...

established a record-keeping system at the Tintenpalast building, the seat of successive parliaments. In 1939 the ''South West Africa Archives Depot'' was founded by the

South African government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authori ...

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

. German documents surviving

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

were incorporated. In 1957 the Archives moved into the building of the Windhoek Public Library in

Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. The town is known for its colonial architecture, includ ...

Street. After Namibian independence in 1990 the Archives was administered by the

Government of Namibia The government of Namibia consists of the executive, the legislative and the judiciary branches. The Cabinet is the executive organ of government, implementing the laws of the country. It consists of the president, the prime minister and his dep ...

, mandated by the Archives Act (Act #12 of 1992). In 2000 was moved into its current building in Eugène Marais Street in downtown Windhoek, where the

is also situated.

Records

In 1993 the Archives held 5,600 maps, 61,000 photographs, 2,000 audio cassettes, 450 films and a complete collection of all local newspapers from 1897 to 1962.''The role of the Namibian National Archives and coordination with private archives in Namibia''
Coordination of Information Systems and Services in Namibia
Papers of the Seminar (Windhoek, Namibia, February 25-March 5, 1993). Of particular importance are the '' Hendrik Witbooi Papers'', inscribed in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Memory of the World Register – Africa, the

Hoachanas Hoachanas (Khoekhoe: ) is a settlement of 3,000 inhabitants in the Hardap Region of southern central Namibia, located northeast of Kalkrand. It is situated at the junction of the main road C21 from Kalkrand, and C15 from Dordabis to Stampriet ...

Peace Treaty of 1858, and the ''Vaderlike Wette'' of the Basters of Rehoboth. In 2022 the Archives counted 6,000 maps and building plans, 40,000 photos and 30,000 audiovisual items. Government and court records occupy more than of shelves.

External links

Official website
National Archives of Namibia

References

{{Authority control

Archives in Namibia Educational institutions established in 1939 1939 establishments in South West Africa History of Namibia Government of Namibia

History

Records

See also

External links

References