Swakopmund, Namibia

Swakopmund is a coastal city and seaside resort in Namibia, 280 km to the west of Windhoek, the capital. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, it covers 193 sq km (75 sq mi) and has a population of 42,000 people (2011 estimate).

Swakopmund was originally known by the indigenous Herero name of Otjozondjii. It was established by Captain Curt von François in 1892 to serve as a harbor for the Imperial German colony, as at that time the harbor at Walvis Bay belonged to the British. It was not the most ideal site for a harbor, as it faces the open ocean, a general feature of the Namibian coast.

Within a couple of decades from its founding, Swakopmund's harbor was silting up, requiring the construction of a long wooden jetty for ships to berth. This was replaced with a steel jetty in 1914. Before long it became dilapidated. In 2006, renovations were carried out and now the jetty hosts restaurants.

Sandwiched between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, Swakopmund experiences a mild desert climate. The convergence of the cold Benguela current with the hot desert creates a fog that sweeps 140 km (87 mi) inland. The plantlife of the area adopts to its unique climate deriving much of its water from the fog. Coldest months are July and August, with average low temperature of 10°C, while hottest month is February, with average high temperature of 23°C.

Visiting Swakopmund

The most practical way to reach Swakopmund is to self-drive from Windhoek.

Lighthouse and State House in Swakopmund, Namibia
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leuchtturm_Swakopmund.jpg
Harald Süpfle

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

To get to know me better, do follow me on Facebook!