Karasburg
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Karasburg ǀNomsoros Kalkfontein |
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 Karasburg
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| Coordinates: 28°1′S 18°45′E / 28.017°S 18.750°E | ||
| Country |
 Namibia
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| Region | ǁKaras Region | |
| Constituency | Karasburg Constituency | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ernest Willem Anderson | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 4,401 | |
| Time zone | West Africa Time (UTC+1) | |
| Climate | BWh | |
Karasburg (Khoekhoe: ǀNomsoros, old name Afrikaans: Kalkfontein, literally "carst spring") is a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia and the district capital of the Karasburg electoral constituency. It lies at the heart of the southern Namibian sheep farming industry.
There are three main routes that lead into Karasburg. From Grünau in the west, Onseepkans in the south and the B3 national road that leads to the South African border in the east. The town lies 710-kilometre (440 mi) south of Windhoek, 862-kilometre (536 mi) north of Cape Town and 110 km west of the Ariamsvlei border post. Karasburg is the only relatively large town south of Keetmanshoop in Namibia.
Karasburg's main industry is sheep farming, but it is also an important truck stop for transport vehicles streaming into Namibia from the South African border. The town supports several massive farms in the area. The town also has its own airstrip which is used mainly for light aircraft or as an emergency landing strip for larger planes. Karasburg Railway Station was once the busiest train station in Southern Namibia and is also the last significant stop before Upington. Bondels Dam, built in 1959, lies 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) west of the town.
Karasburg was downgraded from municipality to town status in 2010. The town is riddled with unemployment as there is no industry, and the little rainfall hampers commercial farming.
Karasburg has an extreme climate most times of the year with summer temperatures rising well over 40 degrees Celsius and dropping to sub-zero in winter. Low rainfall is seen in this region (annual average rainfall: 128 millimetres (5.0 in) at the Karasburg weather station), but the rains usually come in early January and leave as late as early April, depending on the previous season's nature.
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Wikipedia