Windhoek
Windhoek (/ˈwɪndhʊk/, Afrikaans: [ˈvəntɦuk], German: [ˈvɪnthʊk]) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 2020 was 431,000 which is growing continually due to a continued migration from other regions in Namibia.
Windhoek
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| City of Windhoek | |
Clockwise from top: Windhoek CBD, Parliament building, Windhoek railway station, State House, Christ Church | |
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Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Suum Cuique (Latin for "To each his own") | |
Windhoek Location of Windhoek in Namibia Windhoek Windhoek (Africa) | |
| Coordinates: 22°34′12″S 17°5′1″E | |
| Country | Namibia |
| Region | Khomas Region |
| First settled | 1840 |
| Second founding | 18 October 1890 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council government |
| • Mayor | Queen Kamati (SWAPO) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Joseph Uapingene (NUDO) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,133 km2 (1,982 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,655 m (5,430 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 431,000 |
| • Density | 62.8/km2 (163/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code | 10005 |
| Area code | 061 |
| Climate | BSh |
| Website | www |
Windhoek is the social, economic, political, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered there.
The city developed at the site of a permanent hot spring known to the local pastoral tribes. It developed rapidly after Jonker Afrikaner, Captain of the Orlam, settled there in 1840 and built a stone church for his community. In the decades following, multiple wars and armed hostilities resulted in the neglect and destruction of the new settlement. Windhoek was founded a second time in 1890 by Imperial German Army Major Curt von François, when the territory was colonised by the German Empire.