Transport in Namibia

This article deals with the system of transport in Namibia, both public and private.

General

History

The beginnings of organised travel and transport routes in the territory of South West Africa, today Namibia, have not yet been established. This is due to the lack of any written records relating to roads prior to the twilight of the 19th century.[1] Archaeological work has dated one stretch of road in the south-western Brandberg Massif to c. 1250 AD. Although no other such early examples have been found, it is certain that this road was not the only one of its kind.[2]

The first permanent road, established for ox wagons, was built at the initiative of Heinrich Schmelen, Rhenish missionary in Bethanie in the early 19th century. It led from Bethanie to Angra Pequeña, today the town of Lüderitz, and was intended to serve the natural harbour there in order to become independent of the Cape Colony.[2]

Road
The B2 between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Windy conditions and the proximity of sand dunes lead to reduced visibility, and sand covering the tarmac
B4 highway near Luderitz
Point of view on the D826 road to Sossusvlei.

Namibia's road network is regarded as one of the best on the continent; road construction and maintenance adheres to international standards.[3] The country's 48,875.27 km roads (2017) are administered by the Roads Authority, a state-owned enterprise established by Act 17 of 1999. Due to low traffic volumes the majority of roads are not tarred. The distribution of road surfaces is:[4]

  • 6,664 kilometres (4,141 mi) standard bitumen road
  • 412 kilometres (256 mi) low-volume bitumen road. These roads have the same base layer as gravel roads but are covered with a thin layer of bitumen to reduce maintenance cost and dust formation.
  • 25,710 kilometres (15,980 mi) standard gravel road, covered with imported gravel.
  • 11,460 kilometres (7,120 mi) earth-graded road. These roads are built by clearing the vegetation and blading the surface. Compaction is achieved by the traffic using the road. Some of these roads are not graded at all but just consist of earth or sand tracks separated by vegetation. These tracks are in use where a daily usage of less than five vehicles is expected.
  • 288 kilometres (179 mi) salt road. These roads consist of concentrated salt water and gypsum-rich material. They are only built near the Atlantic coast inside the mist belt.

Roads by region (2017)
Region Bitumen
(km)		 Gravel
(km)		 Salt
(km)		 Earth
(km)		 Others
(km)		 Total
(km)		 Kilometers
per 1000 km²
Erongo 466.9 1748.3 269.90 1025.7 14.2 3524.98 55.5
Hardap 654.7 4566.4 0,0 1358.9 0.0 6597.95 59.9
Karas 1314.7 4989.0 5.0 1347.9 2.1 7658.62 47.6
Kavango East 344.4 465.9 0.0 673.2 82.5 1656.95 64.7
Kavango West 428.0 218.8 0.0 629.3 24.3 1300.41 56.0
Khomas 361.8 1729.0 0.0 666.2 70.9 2827.85 76.8
Kunene 515.5 2644.1 25.0 1524.5 186.6 4895.68 33.9
Ohangwena 359.2 316.9 0.0 350.2 303.5 1329.71 125.40
Omaheke 445.4 2974.1 0.0 2055.0 33.6 5508.09 73.8
Omusati 726.4 486.8 0.0 750.6 261.8 2225.58 163.2
Oshana 129.2 261.7 0.0 178.2 182.6 751.78 141.8
Oshikoto 513.3 934.2 0.0 328.9 12.6 1789.06 67.3
Otjozondjupa 1137.6 4454.0 0.0 1702.6 66.1 7360.35 69.9
Zambezi 504.7 257.4 0.0 697.4 79.8 1539.26 78.8

The major highways in Namibia are as follows:

Road accidents

2018 there were about 393,062 cars registered in Namibia (169,911 in the capital Windhoek).[5] Namibia has a relatively high prevalence of road accidents, compared to its sparse population. In 2011, 491 people died in 2,846 crashes.[6] Causes are often speeding and reckless driving, as well as general non-observance of traffic rules.[7] Stray animals are also a major cause of accidents, particularly in the Kavango Region.[8]

Railway

Rail transport in Namibia is operated on a 2,687-kilometre network by TransNamib.

Map of the rail network of Namibia
TransNamib train near Kolmanskop.
Main article: Rail transport in Namibia
  • Angola - There is currently no rail connection to Angola, although an agreement has been signed for link. Angola uses the same gauge,1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), as Namibia.[9] (Rail transport in Angola)
  • Botswana - There is currently no rail-link with Botswana, though the two countries use the same gauge. As of February 2011, construction on a Trans-Kalahari rail link between Botswanan coal fields and Walvis Bay was expected to begin in a year and a half.[10] (Rail transport in Botswana)
  • South Africa - There is a rail connection to South Africa; the two countries use the same 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. (Rail transport in South Africa)
  • Zambia - There is currently no rail-link with Zambia, though the two countries use the same gauge. As of February 2011, there has been some talk of extending rail to the Zambian border.[11] (Rail transport in Zambia)

Ports and harbours

Atlantic Ocean

Merchant marine

none (2002, 1999 est.)

Airports

Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport in the country. Two others international airports are Walvis Bay Airport and Eros Airport in Windhoek.

References

Notes
  1. Dierks 2001, chapter 1 - Introduction to the History of Roads in Namibia.
  2. Dierks 2001, Chapter 2.1 - The Pre-historic era circa 1250 - circa 1770.
  3. Heita, Desie (27 July 2011). "RA needs over N$1 billion". New Era. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  4. "Get to know Namibia's National Road Network". supplement to several Namibian newspapers. Namibia Roads Authority. March 2012.
  5. "Crash and Claims Reports 2018. Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, 2018, p. 46".
  6. Smith, Jana-Mari (3 January 2012). "Road accidents claim 60 lives". The Namibian.
  7. Khobetsi, Lorato (2011). "Road accidents claim more lives". Namibia Economist. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  8. Matali, Mutonga. "Stray animals major cause of accidents". New Era. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  9. "Gauge".
  10. BusinessLive, retrieved February 17, 2011
  11. TransKalahari Railway to steam ahead in 2012, retrieved February 17, 2011

Literature
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