Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay
/wawl"vis/
1. an inlet of the S Atlantic Ocean, on the coast of Namibia, in SW Africa.
2. a seaport on this inlet.
3. an exclave of the Republic of South Africa around this seaport. 42,234; 347 sq. mi. (899 sq. km).

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Town (pop., 2001 prelim.: 40,849), west-central Namibia, on the Atlantic Ocean.

A mid-19th-century rush to exploit guano deposits on nearby islands was followed by British annexation of the bay and the adjacent land in 1878. It was incorporated into Britain's Cape Colony in 1884. In 1910 it was included in the newly united South Africa. Administered as part of South West Africa (1922–77), it was then governed directly by South Africa, which retained the enclave after Namibia reached independence in 1990. The two countries administered the enclave jointly from 1992 to 1994; then South Africa transferred it to Namibia. Its harbour serves as Namibia's chief port.

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Afrikaans  Walvisbaai,  

      town and anchorage in west-central Namibia (formerly South West Africa), lying along the Atlantic Ocean. It constituted an exclave of South Africa until 1992.

      A mid-19th-century rush for guano deposits on a number of adjacent islands was followed by British annexation of the bay and the adjacent hinterland in 1878. It was incorporated into Britain's Cape Colony (now part of South Africa) in 1884, the same year in which Germany established the colony of South West Africa. By the Act of Union (1910) Walvis Bay was included in the newly united South Africa. For reasons of convenience, it was administered as part of South West Africa from 1922 until 1977. From 1978 it was governed directly by South Africa, which retained the exclave after Namibia reached independence in 1990. The latter disputed South Africa's possession of Walvis Bay, claiming the exclave was Namibian territory. In 1992 the two countries agreed to administer the exclave jointly, and in 1994 South Africa transferred sovereignty over Walvis Bay to Namibia.

      The town of Walvis Bay lies on the edge of the Namib Desert at the mouth of the intermittently flowing Kuiseb River. A portion of the town lies below sea level (4 feet [1.2 m]) and is protected by a dike against flooding. Walvis Bay Harbour serves as Namibia's chief port. It is sheltered by Pelican Point Peninsula on the northwest and is connected to the interior by road, rail, and air. The harbour was formerly a deepwater anchorage for the South African navy, and since the late 1970s the port has exported uranium from one of the world's most important deposits, at Rössing, 50 miles (80 km) northeast. Severe coastal overfishing from the mid-1970s caused a decline in importance of the town's former economic mainstay. Pop. (1985) town, 9,687.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Walvis Bay — [wôl′vis] [< Du walvis, whale < MDu walvisc < wal, WHALE1 + visc, akin to OE fisc, FISH] 1. inlet of the Atlantic, on the coast of Namibia 2. seaport in W Namibia, on this inlet: pop. 21,000: the city & surrounding area were formerly… …   English World dictionary

  • Walvis Bay — ou Walfish Bay ( Baie des baleines ) territoire de la Namibie; 1 124 km²; 25 000 hab. Bien qu englobé dans la Namibie, il appartint à la rép. d Afrique du Sud jusqu en 1994. Port de pêche et de comm. (exportation de minerais). Base militaire …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Walvis Bay —   [ wɔlvɪs beɪ], Hafenstadt in Namibia, Walfischbai …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Walvis Bay — Details …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Walvis Bay — Infobox Settlement name =Walvis Bay official name = other name = native name = nickname = settlement type = total type = motto = imagesize = image caption = Aerial photo of the harbour area flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size …   Wikipedia

  • Walvis Bay — Coordenadas: 22°57′27″S 14°30′19″E /  22.9575, 14.50528 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Walvis Bay — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Walvis Bay (homonymie). Walvis Bay Walfischbucht (de) / Walvisbaai …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Walvis Bay — (Walvisbaai) ► Territorio de la República de Sudáfrica, enclave de Namibia en la prov. de El Cabo; 1 124 km2 y 21 725 h. Cap., la c. homónima. * * * Puerto (pob. est., 2001: 40.849 hab.), del centro oeste de Namibia, situado en la bahía del mismo …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Walvis Bay — Original name in latin Walvis Bay Name in other language Gorad Uolvis Behj, Uolfish Bej, Uolfish Bej, Valvis Bej, Volfis Bej, Volvis Bejus, Volvis Bjus, WVB, Walfisch Bucht Niederland, Walfischbucht, Walvis Bay, Walvisbaai, jing wan gang, uWalvis …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Walvis Bay — geographical name town & port W Namibia on Walvis Bay (inlet of the Atlantic) W of Windhoek; formerly an exclave of Republic of South Africa forming a district area (of district) 434 square miles (1124 square kilometers) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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