Usakos
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Usakos Okanduu |
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| City | ||
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| Motto: | ||
 Usakos
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| Coordinates: 22°0′S 15°36′E / 22.000°S 15.600°E | ||
| Country |
 Namibia
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| Region | Erongo Region | |
| Constituency | Karibib Constituency | |
| Established | 1900s | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 3,583 | |
| Time zone | South African Standard Time (UTC+1) | |
| Climate | BWh | |
Usakos (Damara: grab the heel,Otjiherero name: Okanduu) is a town on the banks of river Khan, 140 kilometres north-east of Swakopmund in the Erongo Region of Namibia. It is located on the B2 (Trans-Kalahari Highway), the main road between the Walvis Bay and Johannesburg. The town has 3,000 inhabitants and owns 58 square kilometres (22 sq mi) of land.
Surrounded by mountains, Usakos is quite picturesque. Certain spots around the town show the longest uninterrupted horizon in the world. It is the closest town to the Spitzkoppe, often referred to as the "Matterhorn of Namibia".
The settlement was founded in the early 1900s as a workshop and watering station for locomotives. Herero chief Samuel Maharero sold the land to Europeans who resold it in 1903 to the Otavi Minen- und Eisenbahngesellschaft (Otavi Mining and Railway Company) (OMEG) which operated an industrial railway line from Swakopmund to Tsumeb. OMEG established a railway station and a repair shop which was used until the 1960s. When mining operations slowed down, Usakos' importance faded quickly. Today it is just a drive-through from the Namibian inland to the coast.
Historic buildings and structures in Usakos are the Roman Catholic church (erected 1905), the now dilapidated railway station building, and the old hotel.
Usakos is riddled with poverty and alcohol abuse, the current[update] unemployment rate is around 60%. Unlike other Namibian towns, it has not seen substantial development since independence in 1990.
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Wikipedia