Lüderitz

Lüderitz, Namibia

Area	xxx km² (xxx mi²)
Established	1883
Population	approx. 30,000
Population Density	xxx/km² (xxx/mi²)
Administrative Division	Karas Region
Mayor	E Amupewa
Time Zone	South African Standard Time: UTC+1
Latitude and Longitude	Latitude: 26.64°S	Longitude: 15.15°E

Lüderitz is a harbour town in southern Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.

Overview

It was founded in 1883 when Heinrich Vogelsang purchased Angra Pequena and some of the surrounding land on behalf of Adolf Lüderitz, a "hanseat" from Bremen in Germany, from the local Nama chief. Lüderitz began its life as a trading post, with other activities in fishing and guano-harvesting. In 1909, after the discovery of diamonds nearby, Lüderitz enjoyed a sudden surge of prosperity. Today, however, diamonds are mostly found elsewhere and offshore, and Lüderitz has lost a lot of this interest.

The harbour has a very shallow rock bottom, making it unusable for modern ships; this led to Walvis Bay becoming the centre of the Namibian shipping industry. Recently, however, the addition of a new quay has allowed larger fishing vessels to dock at Lüderitz. The town has also re-styled itself in an attempt to lure tourists to the area, which includes a new waterfront area for shops and offices.

The town is known for its colonial architecture, including some Art Nouveau work, and for wildlife including seals, penguins, flamingos and ostriches. It is also home to a museum and to the Lüderitz Speed Challenge, and formerly lay at the end of a railway line to Keetmanshoop.

Lüderitz was the starting point for explorer and sailor Amyr Klink's successful solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, rowing for 101 days all the way to the Brazilian coast with no other form of propulsion, in 1984. [ cite web|url=http://veja.abril.com.br/arquivo_veja/capa_26091984.shtml/conteudo.php?page=biografia |title=O herói do Atlântico |accessdate=2008-10-11 |language=Portuguese ]

Ghost towns

Just outside of Lüderitz lies the ghost town of Kolmanskop. This previously bustling diamond town is now abandoned, and fights a constant struggle against being buried under the shifting sand dunes of the Namib desert.

Another ghost town called Elizabeth Bay lies 30km to the south.

Press

Lüderitz has a local monthly newspaper, "Buchter News". The paper, which was started as a source of free English-language reading material, is run by volunteers from the British gap year charity Project Trust.

Pictures

References

External links

* [http://www.orusovo.com/guidebook/content12.htm Lüderitz information in an online Namibia guidebook]
* [http://www.e-ships.net/ports/Namibia/2993.htm] Port has 8m draft.

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/WA/31/Luderitz.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 75m (railways are red dots)]