Walvis Bay (; ; ) is a city in

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and the name of the

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of of land. The bay is a haven for sea vessels due to its natural deep-water harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, which is the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

and

marine life Marine life, sea life or ocean life is the collective ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, aquatic plant, plants, algae, marine fungi, fungi, marine protists, protists, single-celled marine microorganisms, microorganisms ...

, these waters also draw large numbers of

southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20� ...

s, attracting whalers and fishing vessels. A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value about the sea route around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in 1485. The importance of the harbour, combined with its extreme isolation by land, explains the complicated political history of the town. For much of its history, Walvis Bay was governed as an

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

separate from the rest of the territory that today is Namibia. The town is situated just north of the

Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reach ...

in the

Kuiseb River The Kuiseb River is an ephemeral river in western-central Namibia. Its source is in the Khomas Highland west of Windhoek. From there it flows westwards through the Namib-Naukluft National Park and the Namib desert to Walvis Bay. Several settlement ...

delta and lies at the end of the

TransNamib Railway TransNamib Holdings Limited (TransNamib) is a state-owned railway company in Namibia. Organised as a holding company, it provides both rail and road freight services, as well as passenger rail services. Its headquarters are in the country’s cap ...

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, which ...

, and on B2 road. Walvis Bay, with its large bay and dunes, is an important centre of tourism activity in Namibia. Attractions include the artificial Bird Island, centre of a

guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...

collection industry, the Dune 7 dune, the salt works, the abundant birdlife, and a museum.

Kuisebmund Stadium Kuisebmond Stadium is an open-air stadium in Walvis Bay, Namibia. It is home to several teams in the Namibia Premier Football League, including the Eleven Arrows and Blue Waters football clubs. The stadium has capacity for 4,000 spectators. ...

, home to two clubs in the

Namibia Premier League The Namibia Premier League (NPL) was the highest level of domestic association football in Namibia until it was disbanded following the 2018-19 season. The league was established in 1990 and was trimmed to 12 teams from the traditional 16 in 2005 ...

, is also located in the city. The beach resort of

Langstrand Langstrand (Afrikaans and German for "Long Beach", which the residential area is often called by English-speaking tourists) is a small beach resort on the Atlantic coast in western Namibia. Langstrand and its neighboring sister resort Dolfynst ...

lies just a few kilometres north. The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone is an important facet of the local economy.

Etymology

The Dutch referred to it as and the English as ''Whale Bay''. In its eventual formal incorporation, it was named ''Walfish Bay'', which was changed to ''Walvish Bay'', and ultimately to ''Walvis Bay''. It has also been referred to as ''Walwich Bay'' or ''Walwisch Bay''. The

Herero people The Herero () are a Bantu people, Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. 178,987 Namibians identified as Ovaherero in the 2023 census. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Though the Herero primarily reside in Namibia, there ...

of the area called it .

History

Portuguese navigator

Diogo Cão Diogo Cão (; – 1486), also known as Diogo Cam, was a Portuguese mariner and one of the most notable explorers of the fifteenth century. He made two voyages along the west coast of Africa in the 1480s, exploring the Congo River and the coasts ...

reached

Cape Cross Cape Cross (Afrikaans: ''Kaap Kruis''; German: ''Kreuzkap''; Portuguese: ''Cabo da Cruz'') is a headland in the South Atlantic in Skeleton Coast, western Namibia. History In 1484, Portuguese navigator and explorer Diogo Cão was ordered by ...

, north of the bay, in 1485. There followed

Bartolomeu Dias Bartolomeu Dias ( – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the Cape Agulhas, southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lies ...

, who anchored his flagship ''

São Cristóvão São Cristóvão (, ''Saint Christopher'') is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern state of Sergipe. Founded at the mouth of the Vaza-Barris River on January 1, 1590, the municipality is ...

'' in what is now Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover a sea route to the East via the

. He named the bay "O Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceição". However, the Portuguese did not formally stake a claim to Walvis Bay. Walvis Bay was founded at the end of the 18th century as a stopover for sea travel between

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

by the Dutch East India Company. No permanent (year-round) settlement was attempted and little commercial development occurred on the site until the late 19th century. In the meantime, the Cape Colony had become British, and during the

Scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa was the invasion, conquest, and colonialism, colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the era of ...

, 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

claimed Walvis Bay. They permitted the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

to complete the annexation of the territory in 1884, together with the

Penguin Islands The Penguin Islands (, ) are a historical group of mostly scattered small islands and rocks situated along a long stretch of the Namibian coastline. Not forming a geographic whole, the Namibian government formally lists them as the ''off-S ...

, following initial steps that had been taken in 1878.Succession of States and Namibian territories
Y. Makonnen in ''Recueil Des Cours, 1986: Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law'', Academie de Droit International de la Haye, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1987, page 213 In 1910, Walvis Bay, as part of the

, became part of the newly formed

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa (; , ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day South Africa, Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the British Cape Colony, Cape, Colony of Natal, Natal, Tra ...

. Subsequently, a dispute arose with Germany over the

's boundaries, which was eventually settled in 1911, with Walvis Bay being allocated an area of .Walvis Bay: exclave no more
Ieuan Griffiths, ''Geography'', Vol. 79, No. 4 (October 1994), page 354 Union of South Africa in its region

The exclave was overrun by the Germans during the

South West Africa Campaign The South West Africa campaign was the conquest and occupation of German South West Africa by forces from the Union of South Africa acting on behalf of the British imperial government at the beginning of the First World War. The South Afric ...

early in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, but the Union Defence Force (UDF) of South Africa eventually ousted the Germans in 1915. Subsequently, Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime in South West Africa. South Africa was later awarded control (a Class "C" mandate) over

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

by the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

to administer the territory. Civilian rule was restored in South West Africa in 1921 and the administration of Walvis Bay was transferred to South West Africa under the South West Africa Affairs Act of 1922. Despite the territory never having been part of

German South West Africa German South West Africa () 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. German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...

, the Act stated that: "the port and settlement of Walvis Bay, which forms part of the Cape of Good Hope, shall for judicial and administrative purposes be regarded as if it were part of the mandated territory of South West Africa". However, South Africa had also sought to annex South West Africa itself and had presented such a proposal to the League of Nations. Consequently, in 1949, the Act was amended to give representation in the

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital city, capital. Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameralism, bicameral Parliamen ...

to whites in South West Africa. On 14 December 1971, the Namibian general contract workers strike began in Walvis Bay, after starting the day before in

. The goal of the strike was the abolition of the contract labour system, to oppose

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

, and promote Namibia's independence. In 1977, following increasing international pressure to relinquish its control over South West Africa, South Africa repealed the Act, but transferred control of Walvis Bay back to the

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope (), commonly referred to as the Cape Province () and colloquially as The Cape (), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa. It encompassed the old Cape Co ...

, thereby making it an

. From 1980, it was represented in both the Provincial Council and the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

as part of the Green Point constituency in

, before becoming a separate constituency in 1982. In response, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

passed Resolution 432 (1978), which declared that "the territorial integrity and unity of Namibia must be assured through the reintegration of Walvis Bay within its territory". In 1990, South West Africa gained independence as

, but Walvis Bay remained under South African sovereignty, with South Africa increasing the number of troops. However, in 1992, the two countries agreed to establish a transitional Joint Administrative Authority for Walvis Bay and the Offshore Islands. The Authority was headed by two Chief Executive Officers,

Nangolo Mbumba Nangolo Mbumba (born 15 August 1941) is a Namibian politician who was the fourth president of Namibia from 2024 to 2025. He became president after the death of Hage Geingob, under whom he had served as the second vice president from 2018 until h ...

, then Secretary to the Namibian Cabinet, and Carl von Hirschberg, former South African Ambassador to the United Nations. In August 1993, prior to the end of

, the

Multiparty Negotiating Forum The apartheid system in South Africa was ended through a series of bilateral and multi-party negotiations between 1990 and 1993. The negotiations culminated in the passage of a new interim Constitution in 1993, a precursor to the Constitution ...

in South Africa passed a resolution calling for "the incorporation-reintegration of Walvis Bay and the Off-Shore Islands into Namibia." The Transfer of Walvis Bay to Namibia Act was passed by the

that year. Following the signing of a treaty between the two countries, South Africa formally transferred sovereignty of Walvis Bay and the

to Namibia on 1 March 1994.

Geography

Suburbs

Due to its South African administration, Walvis Bay was developed as a segregated town. The suburb of Kuisebmond, located 3.2 kilometres (1.8 mi) from Walvis Bay city centre, housed Black people; Narraville, located 3.3 kilometres (2 mi) from Walvis Bay city centre, was inhabited by

Coloureds Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

; and

Whites White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

lived in the city centre. After the incorporation of the town into Namibia, many people have settled in shacks around it. In an effort to reduce the impact of the

informal settlements Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...

, the municipality formed the Tutaleni Housing Project to the northeast.

Climate

Despite its location within the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

, Walvis Bay features the very rare mild variation of the

cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(''BWk'') according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. It is caused by the rain shadow of the

Naukluft Mountains The Naukluft Mountains (Afrikaans and German: ''Naukluftberge'') are a mountain range in central Namibia. The southern part of the mountain range forms the easternmost part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The northern mountains are occupied ...

and the cooling effect of the coastal sea temperature by the

Benguela Current The Benguela Current is the broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The current extends from roughly Cape Point in the south, to the position of the Angola-Benguela Front in the no ...

. Walvis Bay receives only average precipitation per year, making it one of the driest cities on Earth. Despite its dry climate, the city is relatively humid. Average relative humidity throughout the year remains above 80%. The warmest month is February with an average temperature , while the coolest months are August and September with average temperature . The diurnal temperature range is also low, averaging only . A weather station operated on the Pelican Point headland from 1958 to 1984. Unusually, the highest temperatures are not recorded during the summer; autumn, spring, and even winter have all seen higher temperatures than the hottest days in summer. These record highs occur when offshore winds blow downwards from the high plateau inland and are nonetheless mild by comparison to many other cities in the tropics at the same latitude. Higher temperatures have been recorded, even just slightly inland, such as a report of at the airport on 15 April 2016.

Demographics

As of the 2023 census, Walvis Bay has a population of 102,704, with significant growth from 62,096 in 2011 and 43,611 in 2001. This expansion is largely attributed to internal migration, particularly from Namibia's northern regions, driven by employment opportunities in the port and fishing industries. The city is characterized by its diverse population, encompassing various ethnic groups such as the Aakwanyama, Aandonga,

Ovaherero The Herero () are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. 178,987 Namibians identified as Ovaherero in the 2023 census. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Though the Herero primarily reside in Namibia, there are also sig ...

, Damara, Nama, and others. Languages commonly spoken include

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Oshiwambo The Ovambo () language is a dialect cluster spoken by the Ovambo people in southern Angola and northern Namibia, of which the written standards are Kwanyama and Ndonga. The native name for the language is ''Oshiwambo'' (also written ''Oshi ...

, and Damara. Walvis Bay's urban landscape includes suburbs like Kuisebmond, historically designated for Black residents during

, and Narraville, which was inhabited by

. Post-independence, the city has experienced rapid urbanization, leading to the development of informal settlements. To address housing challenges, the municipality initiated the Tutaleni Housing Project, providing affordable housing with basic amenities.

Economy

Tourism

Tourism has had an increasing influence in the town's economy, with international tourists arriving at its airport and port facilities. Several cruise liners visit the port each year. With many tourism activities hosted by small and large tour operators the town has turned into a tourism destination.

Fishing

In Walvis Bay there are a variety of fishing companies like Hangana Seafood, Caroline Fishing, Benguella Fishing Company, Cadilu Fishing, Etosha Fisheries, Kuiseb Fishing Enterprises, Blue Ocean Products, Benguella Sea Products, Consortium Fisheries, Talanam Fish Processor. These companies catch diverse types of fish, like snoek,

horse mackerel Horse mackerel is a vague vernacular term for a range of species of fish throughout the English-speaking world. It is commonly applied to pelagic fishes, especially of the Carangidae (jack mackerels and scads) family, most commonly those of the gen ...

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the Family (biology), family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 speci ...

white steenbras The white steenbras (''Lithognathus lithognathus'') is a species of fish in the family Sparidae endemic to South Africa. Due to overfishing, primarily by seine netting operations in False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans: ''Valsbaai'') is a body o ...

, kabeljou, kingklip,

hake Hake is the common name for fish in the Merlucciidae family of the northern and southern oceans and the Phycidae family of the northern oceans. Hake is a commercially important fish in the same taxonomic order, Gadiformes, as cod and haddo ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

, and

sardines Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it come ...

. Hangana Seafood are processors and exporters of fish and fish products. As such, the fishing enterprise accounts for a major part of Walvis Bay's economy. In May 2018, a spokesman for the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor), confirmed that a new N$530 million onshore processing plant would be operational by September 2018. After completion, the factory (which plans to employ 700 people of which 70% will be female), promises to be the largest pelagic processing plant in sub-Saharan Africa and will process about 80 000 tonnes of fish per annum.

Manufacturing

In March 2018, the Namibian government in association with French Groupe PSA signed an investment agreement to initiate a joint-venture to assemble

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

and

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

vehicles in Walvis Bay. The N$190m-project has been earmarked to commence in 2018 with a forecasted annual target volume of 5000 units by 2020, a target carried by

SACU The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is a customs union among five countries of Southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. Its headquarters are in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. It was established in 1910. H ...

countries' market demand. However, Peugeot threatened to close the plant over disputes with South Africa over import tariffs. ''Walvis Bay Salt'' produces approximately 1 million tons of salt per year through solar evaporation of sea water. Most of the salt is for industrial use but the company also produces table salt under the "Cerebos" brand.

Transport

Walvis Bay is an important logistical port for the southern African region, providing port facilities for the import and export of cargo for the rest of Namibia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Botswana. Since the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) was established in 2000, cargo moving through the port has increased from 30,000

containers A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

a year to 370,000 containers in 2016. As of 2017 the port was being upgraded to increase its capacity to move 1 million containers a year by 2019. Bureaucratic and logistical problems at the city's competitor port at

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, South Africa have diverted traffic to the port at Walvis Bay. Ninety-five percent of all cargo hauled overland through Walvis Bay is carried by truck. The Walvis Bay Corridor Group is gearing up to increase import/export-business opportunities in Namibia. The Namibian National Development Plan expects to complete the expansion programme of the Walvis Bay port by 2019. Because of the harbour's geographical positioning, authorities plan to gain a footprint in providing landlocked Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries with a vital logistical hub. In addition to the importance of the port, development would strengthen trade corridors which consists of current road and rail networks. In an attempt to strengthen and enhance trade relations between other African countries, Namport (the Namibian Port Authority) in April 2019 signed a five-year MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Port Authority of Dakar, Senegal. Walvis Bay International Airport provides commercial flight services to the city's residents, as well as to neighbouring towns and villages.

Airlink Airlink (previously known as South African Airlink) is a regional airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its main business is to provide services between smaller, under-served towns and larger hub airports. It has since expanded to of ...

services flights between South Africa and Walvis Bay. In August 2019, a new container terminal was opened, built on a 40-acre platform reclaimed from the sea. The terminal was built by the state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company with funds from the Namibian government and the African Development Bank, costing N$4.2b. This increases the capacity of the port to 750,000 containers per year from 350,000. The terminal also includes a dedicated cruise liner berth.

Education

Walvis Bay has a number of public (government-run), semi-public, and private schools. Among them are Duneside High School, Duinesig Primary School, International School of Walvis Bay, The Dolphin Schools, Alexanders Private School, Kuisebmond Secondary School, Walvis Bay Private School and others. A number of kindergartens cater to young children. The Namibian Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI) is a tertiary education institution based in town.

International University of Management The International University of Management (IUM) is a private, state-recognized university based in Windhoek, Namibia. It has campuses in Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Ongwediva, Nkurenkuru and Eenhana. History The university was founded by David ...

(IUM), Welwitchia Health Training Center and Monitronics Success College both have branches in Walvis Bay.

Politics

Walvis Bay is governed by a municipal council that has ten seats.

Election results

The 2015 local authority election was won by the

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...

party which gained eight seats (5,818 votes). One seat each was won by the

Democratic Turnhalle Alliance The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front ...

(DTA, 565 votes) and the United Democratic Front (UDF, 433 votes). The 2020 local authority election was won by the

Independent Patriots for Change The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) is a political party in Namibia. It was founded by Panduleni Itula in August 2020. As an independent presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Itula won the best result of a losing candidate in a ...

(IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020. The IPC obtained 5,043 votes and gained four seats. SWAPO was the runner-up, obtaining 3,348 votes and gaining three seats. One seat each went to the

Landless People's Movement The Landless People's Movement is an independent social movement in South Africa. It consisted of rural people and people living in shack settlements in cities. The Landless People's Movement boycotted parliamentary elections and had a history ...

(LPM, a new party registered in 2018, 1,207 votes), the local Joint Walvis Bay Residents Association with 945 votes, and the

Popular Democratic Movement The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front ...

(PDM, the new name of the DTA) with 658 votes. On 28 November 2024,

Trevino Forbes Trevino Forbes is a Namibian politician serving as mayor of Walvis Bay since December 2020. Forbes serves as the current Vice President of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC). Mayoral career Forbes joined the Independent Patriots for Change ...

of IPC was re-elected as the mayor of Walvis Bay at a special council meeting.

Twin towns – sister cities

Walvis Bay is twinned with: *

Lobatse Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...

in Botswana *

Drakenstein The Drakenstein mountain is a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It lies opposite Simonsberg Mountain and is part of the Cape Fold Belt. It is named after ex-soldier Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein, who wa ...

in South Africa *

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

in Norway.

Culture

Sports

Walvis Bay contains open spaces, scenic beauty and unique marine and plant life. It is well suited for the outdoor lifestyle, boasting sports such as sandboarding, kiting, surfing, swimming, angling, sailing, golf and other indoor and outdoor sport codes. There is Walvis Bay Lagoon and Aquatic Activities, Kuiseb River Delta and the beach itself where people enjoy swimming and catching fish. The sand spit allows the adjacent water to remain smooth in very strong winds, ideal for record attempting vessels like that by the ''

Vestas Sailrocket The ''Vestas Sailrocket'' was built to capture the sailing speed record competing in the B-class for 150 to 235 square feet of sail. It is piloted by the project leader Paul Larsen and sponsored by Danish wind turbines manufacturer Vestas. In 2 ...

''. The ocean side of the sand spit has a world-famous surf spot known in the international surf media as "Skeleton Bay." The city is home to Eleven Arrows F.C. and Blue Waters F.C.,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs that compete in the

Namibia Premier Football League The Namibia Premiership, or the Debmarine Namibia Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of domestic association football in Namibia. It operates under the auspices of the Namibia Football Association. History After ongoi ...

, and the Sparta Cricket Club Ground.

Places of worship

Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

, they are predominantly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches and temples:

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has a total membership of over 853,522 in 2023, mainly in Northern Namibia. Formerly known as the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church (ELOC) ...

(

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; ) is a global Communion (religion), communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of L ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN; ) is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has 54 parishes, over 100 congregations, and a total membership of about 600,000. The ELCRN grew out of work done by the Rhen ...

(

), Baptist Convention of Namibia (

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international communion of Baptists, with an estimated 51 million people from 266 member bodies in 134 countries and territories as of 2024. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accounts f ...

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In addition to that there are also Anglican Churches namely St Raphael Anglican Church in Mondesa, St Mathews Anglican Church close to Namport as well as Seafarers Mission at Namport. There is also a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

mosque.

Film

The Namibian film Walvis Tale is set in Walvis Bay. The documentary explores the bond between the people of Walvis Bay and the sea that supports their way of life, all the while addressing broader themes of identity, sustainability and heritage.

Conservation

Walvis Bay is the home of non-profit environmental organization, Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN). In September 2024, OCN held a Walvis Bay community cleanup, an initiative aimed at addressing the growing issue of marine pollution and protecting local wildlife.

Notable people

* Neshani Andreas (1964–2011), a writer, she also worked as a teacher and for the American

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

. *

Niko Bessinger Nikolaus Onverwag 'Niko' Bessinger (12 June 1948 – 25 March 2008) was a Namibian politician and independence activist. Bessinger was born on 12 June 1948 in Walvis Bay, South West Africa. Born into the Goreseb clan which is closely related to ...

(1948–2008), politician and independence activist. * Naude Dreyer, co-founder of Ocean Conservation Namibia. *

Otto Herrigel Otto Herrigel (27 June 1937 – 13 May 2013) was a Namibian businessman, and politician. He served as Namibia's first List of Ministers of Finance of Namibia, Minister of Finance between 1990 and 1992. Herrigel was born in Walvis Bay and grew up ...

(1937–2013), businessman and politician; first Minister of Finance, 1990 and 1992. * Derek Klazen (born 1965), politician and former mayor of Walvis Bay, minister of fisheries and marine resources * Uilika Nambahu, politician, mayor of Walvis Bay in 2008 * Top Cheri (born 1991), singer and entrepreneur. * Omar van Reenen, LGBT activist, junior mayor of Walvis from 2014 to 2015, and served as Vice President of The State University of New York Student Assembly from 2020 to 2021

Sport

Johanna Benson Johanna Benson (born 17 February 1990) is a Paralympian athlete from Walvis Bay, Namibia. She competes in T37 long jump and sprint events and at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London she won the women's 200 metres race in her classification. H ...

(born 1990), Paralympic gold medalist in the T37 long jump * Chrysander Botha (born 1988), rugby union player with 55 caps for

* twins

Shalako Shalako is a series of dances and ceremonies conducted by the Native American Zuni people for the Zuni people at the winter solstice, typically following the harvest. The Shalako ceremony and feast has been closed to non-native peoples since 1990 ...

Zhivago Groenewald Zhivago Groenewald (born 8 June 1993) is a Namibian former cricketer. He was initially selected as part of Namibia's squad for the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament, but was replaced by Michau du Preez. Career In October 2018, Groenew ...

(born 1993), former first-class cricketers. *

Percy Montgomery Percival Colin Montgomery (born 15 March 1974) is a Namibian-born South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both cap (sport), caps and points fo ...

(born 1974), former rugby player, with 102 caps with

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

.Percy Montgomery (ambassador)
Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved 26 June 2022 * Harry Simon (born 1971), former professional boxer. * Hendrik Somaeb (born 1992), footballer with 30 caps for

* Damian Stevens (born 1995), rugby union player with 25 caps for

* Marius Visser (born 1982), rugby union player with 18 caps for

Gallery

File:NA-walvis-2.jpg, Watching

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

in Walvis Bay File:Heaviside-Delphin.jpg, Heaviside's dolphins

jumping Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and ...

off Walvis Bay File:NA-walvis-4.jpg,

Cape fur seal The brown fur seal (''Arctocephalus pusillus''), also known as the Cape fur seal, and Afro-Australian fur seal, is a species of fur seal. Description The brown fur seal is the largest and most robust member of the fur seals. It has a large an ...

s hauling site File:Namibia Walvis Bay 3.jpg,

Great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...

File:Phoeniconaias minor (Walvis Bay).jpg,

Lesser flamingo The lesser flamingo (''Phoeniconaias minor'') is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India. Birds are occasionally reported from further north, but these are generally considered vagrants. Characteristics The lesse ...

s File:Pelican Point, Lighthouse and Lodge in Namibia (2014).jpg, Pelican Point Lodge and

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

File:Bird Island, Walvis Bay (Namibia).jpg, Bird Island near Walvis Bay File:Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay.tif, Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay File:Panoramic view of the salt flats.tif, Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay File:Vista panoramica delle Saline di Swakopmund.tif, Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay File:View of the salt flats of Walvis Bay.tif, Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay File:Walvisbay-sat.jpg, Satellite view of Walvis Bay

References

Notes

External links

Images from Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay City Council

Transfer of Walvis Bay To Namibia Act, 1993

Namibia's Walvis Bay Issue – Origin and Rise of a Colonial Dispute (1992)

Prime Minister Vorster Speaks on Walvis Bay
''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

'', 30 July 1978
Namibia Reclaims Walvis Bay
''

'', 28 February 1994 {{Authority control Cities in Namibia Populated coastal places in Namibia Cape Colony Port cities in Africa Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa Ramsar sites in Namibia Populated places in the Erongo Region Former exclaves Port cities and towns in Namibia Populated places established in the 1790s 1790s establishments in South West Africa