Alexander Bay () is a town in the extreme north-west of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It is located on the southern bank of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...

mouth. It was named for Sir James Alexander, who was the first person to map the area whilst on a

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

expedition into

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 ...

in 1836. (It is mistakenly believed by many locals that it was he who first established commercial copper mining in the area.) With diamonds being discovered along the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

in 1925, Alexander Bay was established to service the mining industry. The town of

Oranjemund Oranjemund (German for ''"Mouth of Orange"'') is a diamond mining town of 4,000 inhabitants situated in the ǁKaras Region of the extreme southwest of Namibia, on the northern bank of the Orange River mouth at the border to South Africa. Histo ...

lies on the northern bank of the river, which forms the

international border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

with

. The two towns are linked by the

Ernest Oppenheimer Bridge The Ernest Oppenheimer Bridge, named for Ernest Oppenheimer, originally opened in 1951 and rebuilt in 1953, links the town of Oranjemund, Namibia, with the South African town of Alexander Bay, on the southern bank of the Orange River Th ...

, named for

Ernest Oppenheimer Sir Ernest Oppenheimer (22 May 1880 – 25 November 1957), KStJ was a diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa. Career Ernest Oppenhei ...

in 1951. The town is served by

Alexander Bay Airport Alexander Bay Airport is an airport serving Alexander Bay, a town in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway designated 01/19 which m ...

History

Diamonds

After diamonds were discovered along this coast in 1925 by Dr

Hans Merensky Hans Merensky (16 March 1871 – 21 October 1952) was a South African geologist, prospector, scientist, conservationist and philanthropist. He discovered the rich deposit of alluvial diamonds at Alexander Bay in Namaqualand, vast platinum ...

, Alexander Bay became known for its mining activities. The resulting

diamond rush A diamond rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area where diamonds were newly discovered. Major diamond rushes took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in South Africa and South-West Africa. Diamond rushes by chron ...

led to the Diamond Coast rebellion of 1928.

Copper

Copper ore was shipped through the

Richtersveld The Richtersveld is a desert landscape characterised by rugged kloofs and high mountains, situated in the north-western corner of South Africa’s Northern Cape province. It is full of changing scenery from flat, sandy, coastal plains, to crag ...

in barges down the Orange River for export from this bay. The town was a high security area and permits were needed when entered. It is no longer a high security area and no permits are needed.

Geography and climate

Alexander Bay is the most northerly situated town along the west coastline of South Africa. The Orange River enters the Atlantic Ocean at Alexander Bay. The Orange River wetland forms the border between South Africa and Namibia. The Orange River wetland is a declared

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Springbok The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm v ...

, the administrative centre of Namaqualand. Being near the southern end of the

Namib The Namib ( ; pt, Namibe) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namib ...

desert, it is officially also the driest town in South Africa with an average annual rainfall of less than . The cold Benguela Current in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

has a moderating influence on the coastal climate with only small variations in diurnal and seasonal temperatures.

References

{{Authority control Namibia–South Africa border crossings Orange River Populated places established in 1925 Populated places in the Richtersveld Local Municipality