Walvis Bay, (Dutch/Afrikaans Walvisbaai, meaning "Whale Bay"), is an area in Namibia with a checkered history. The bay has been a haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters drew large numbers of whales attracting whalers and fishing vessels. A succession of colonists exploited the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value in relation to the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered. This explains the complicated political status of Walvis Bay down the years. Walvis Bay is 30 km (18.6 mi) from Swakopmund. Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... A square mile is an Imperial unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, 1,609. ... Area: 63,720km2 (24,602 mi²) Population: 107,629 (2001), 55,470 (1991) Population density 1. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. ... Photomontage of plankton organisms Plankton are drifting organisms that inhabit the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. ... Marine biology is the study of animal and plant life within saltwater ecosystems. ... Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point. ... Swakopmund, Namibia Swakopmund is a city in Namibia, with around 35,000 inhabitants. ...

History

The renowned Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias anchored his flagship São Cristavão in Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover a sea route to the East via the Cape of Good Hope. He named the bay "O Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceição." However, the Portuguese did not formally stake a claim to Walvis Bay. Bartolomeu Dias (Anglicized: Bartholomew Diaz) (c. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Richard Fox becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point. ...

Nothing much was done with Walvis Bay until 1840, when in the scramble for Africa, Britain, the dominant seafaring nation at the time, annexed Walvis Bay and a small area surrounding the territory both to forestall German ambitions in the region and to ensure safe passage of British ships around the Cape. In 1910, Walvis Bay, as well as the Cape Colony, became part of the newly formed Union of South Africa. However, a dispute arose with Germany over the enclave's boundaries. This was eventually settled in 1911 and Walvis Bay was allocated an area of 1 124 km² (697.5 mi²). 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For information on the colonization of Africa prior to the 1880s, including Carthaginian and early European colonization, see Colonization of Africa. ... -1... Official language English and Dutch1 Capital Cape Town Largest City Cape Town Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st 569,020 km² (1910) Negligible Population  - Total (1911)  - Density Ranked 1st 2,564,965 4. ... National motto: Ex Unitate Vires (Latin: From Unity, strength} Official languages Afrikaans, English. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

Map showing location of Walvis Bay and reference to South Africa before the handover to Namibia

The enclave was overrun by the Germans early in World War I, but South African Forces eventually ousted the Germans in 1915 and Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime established in South-West Africa. South Africa was later awarded control over South-West Africa by the League of Nations. Civilian rule was restored in South-West Africa in 1921 and Walvis Bay became an integral part of South-West Africa. Anticipating an imminent ceding of its control over South-West Africa, South Africa transferred power over Walvis Bay back to its Cape Province in 1971. Image File history File links Walvis_Bay_map. ... Image File history File links Walvis_Bay_map. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch Süd-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conquered from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

In an attempt to avoid losing control of Walvis Bay in 1977 to a possibly hostile SWAPO-led government, the then South African Government reimposed direct rule and reasserted its claim of sovereignty based on the original annexation. In 1978, the United Nations Security Council provided for bilateral negotiations between South Africa and a future Namibia to resolve the political status of Walvis Bay. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The South West African Peoples Organisation (SWAPO) is a political party in Namibia. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations (UN). ...

In 1990, Southwest Africa gained independence. A new nation, Namibia, was born but Walvis Bay remained under South African control while the process of political change was accelerating there. After independence the local business community and investors in Walvis Bay applied pressure on the South African authorities to resolve its political status. It took until after the a date for the first fully democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 had been set, before Walvis Bay was formally returned to Namibia. Sovereignty over Walvis Bay was formally transferred to Namibia at midnight on 28 February 1994.
This article is about the year. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

External links

• Walvisbay Port Information
• Walvis Bay City Council
• Walvis Bay Airport Information