Omaheke Region

In the east, Omaheke borders are three districts of Botswana:

• North-West - northern
• Ghanzi - eastern
• Kgalagadi - southern

Domestically, it borders the following regions:

• Hardap - south
• Khomas - west
• Otjozondjupa - north

Omaheke is traversed by the northwesterly line of equal latitude and longitude.^[6]

A large part of this region is known as the Sandveld. The northeastern part of the region is still very much wilderness.^{[citation needed]} According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Omaheke Region is 34.1%.^[7]

Anthropologically, almost the entire Ovambanderu and Gobabis-Juǀwa ethnic groups reside in the region. Furthermore, it is a rich cultural area for Herero, Damara-Nama, Tswana, Afrikaners and Germans.^{[citation needed]} According to the 2011 census, 43% of the population speak Otjiherero, 30% speak Nama/Damara and 8% speak Afrikaans at home.^[8]

Gobabis is the centre of this area and also its main business area, as it is linked with the capital of Namibia, Windhoek, by rail and the tarred B6 national road. This infrastructure serves as the main supply line for the region.

All the other population centres in the region are linked with Gobabis by road. Many other services are rendered from Gobabis to the region, such as the Police Divisional Headquarters, which is situated in Gobabis. Clinics in the region are served by medical practitioners based in Gobabis, and there are two hospitals and a clinic serving the region.

The agricultural patterns of this region is to a large extent homogenous. Most of the 900 commercial and 3,500 communal farmers in this area are cattle breeders. A regional office of the Ministry of Agriculture, serving the whole region, is based in Gobabis.

Hunting, including trophy hunting, is one of the major sources of income for the region. This takes place mainly in the winter months, from June to August. During these months, tourists from the northern hemisphere can be seen in the area, enjoying the mild and dry winter climate and collecting trophies.

In 2013 Omaheke had 42 government schools with a total of 18,365 pupils.^[9]

Upon independence of Namibia, the eastern part of Hereroland was absorbed into Omaheke Region.^[10] The region comprises seven constituencies:^[11]

As in all other regions, SWAPO was by far the strongest political party since Namibian independence. However, Omaheke is a region where there has always been considerably support for opposition parties.

As of 2023, there are 102,881 inhabitants of Omaheke, with an annual growth rate of 3.1%. Males outnumber females, with 112 men for every 100 women. The fertility rate is 5.0. The population is roughly split between urban and rural; 43.8% live in urban communities, while 56.2% live in rural communities. On average, there are 1.2 people per km². The average household size is 3.3 persons. 29.2% of the adult population is married. 20.1% have access to the internet, and 45.6% own a cellphone. The literacy rate is 76%. Roughly a fifth (21.6%) have never attended school. 89.8% of inhabitants have access to clean drinking water, but only 42.1% have access to toilet facilities and only 35.4% have electricity. Approximately half (50.4%) make a living through wages, 13.9% through old-age pensions, 9.3% through farming, and 5.0% through non-farming business.^[21]