Okahandja
| Okahandja | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Motto: Semper Prorsum | |
 Okahandja
|
|
| Coordinates: 21°59′S 16°55′E / 21.983°S 16.917°E | |
| Country |
 Namibia
|
| Region | Otjozondjupa Region |
| Constituency | Okahandja constituency |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 22,639 |
| Time zone | South African Standard Time (UTC+1) |
| Climate | BSh |
Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the B1 road. It was founded around 1800, by two local groups, the Herero and the Nama.
Okahandja means the place where two rivers flow into each other to form one wide one in Otjiherero.
A German pastor, Heinrich Schmelen, became the first European to visit the town in 1827. In 1844, two missionaries were permanently assigned to the town, and a church dates from this period. A military post was established in Okahandja in 1894, and it is this date that is officially recognized as the town's founding.
Maharero and his sons, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, Hosea Kutako and Clemens Kapuuo are buried in the town.
Okahandja's population is growing rapidly. It stood at just over 14,000 as measured by the 2001 Population and Housing Census, and is estimated to have surpassed 24,000 in 2012.
Von Bach Dam is situated outside of Okahandja. It provides the majority of Windhoek's water. An open-air curio market attracts tourists, and the town serves as the administrative centre for the Herero people.
A station on the Trans-Namib Railway was built in 1909, which led to further growth and development in the area.
In the 1870s Rhenish missionaries established the first school. The Augustineum School was reopened at Okahandja on 9 November 1905; it was later moved to Windhoek. Today[update] Okahandja has six primary schools and two high schools. Namwater Vocational, situated outside the main town, is the only institute of higher education in Okahandja.
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