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White Namibians

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White Namibians
Blanke Namibiërs, Wit Namibiërs
Weiße Namibier
Afrikaner children playing tug of war during a traditional Boeresport Day in Namibia.
Total population
c. 150,000
Regions with significant populations
 Namibia150,000 (6% of total population)[1]
Others48,000
Languages
First language
Afrikaans (60%)
German (32%)
English (7%)
Portuguese (1%)
Religion
Predominantly Christian
Related ethnic groups
White South Africans, White Zimbabweans, Afrikaners, Coloureds, Basters, other White Africans

White Namibians (German: Weiße Namibier or Europäische Namibier) are people of European descent settled in Namibia. The majority of White Namibians are Dutch-descended Afrikaners (locally born or of White South African descent), with many of the White minority being German Namibians (descended from Germans who colonised Namibia in the late-nineteenth century). Many are also Portuguese or English immigrants. Estimates published in 2016 suggest that the White Namibian population run between 75,000[2] and 150,000.[3] This imprecision in data is because the Namibian government no longer collects data based on race.

Distribution

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The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia. Windhoek has by far the largest White population, and Whites are a majority in the coastal city of Swakopmund. Other coastal cities, such as Walvis Bay and Lüderitz, also have large White communities. In general, most of Namibia south of Windhoek has a high proportion of Whites, while central Namibia has a high concentration of Blacks. Apart from Windhoek, coastal areas and Southern Namibia, there are large White communities in Otjiwarongo and towns in the Otavi Triangle, such as Tsumeb and Grootfontein. The 1981 census of the Republic of South Africa reported a White population of 76,430 in Namibia (71% Afrikaners and 17% German-speaking).[4]

History

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The first European to land in Namibia was Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.[5]

Portuguese mariner and explorer Bartolomeu Dias reached Namibia in 1487. Europeans had no interest in Namibia until the 19th century because there was a desert along the country’s coast.[6]

Economics

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About 4,000 commercial land owners, mostly Whites, own around 50% of the arable land across the country despite a land reform process.[7] According to the FAO, around 42% of arable land was owned by Whites at the time of independence in 1990.[8] While the area was known as South West Africa, White Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation.[9]

Politicians

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Businessmen

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Sportspeople

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Journalists

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Farmers

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Engineers

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Artists

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Fashion models

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Population chart

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White population of Namibia, 1965–2003 (estimated)
Government Year White population Total population White in percent
German South West Africa (1884–1915) 1913 14,830 200,000* 7%
South West Africa, South African administration (1915–1990) 1918 13,400[12] 195,000* 7%
1919 6,700[13] 205,000* 3%
1921 19,432[14] 228,910[15] 8%
1933 10,000[13] 290,000* 3%
1958 66,000[14] 561,854[16] 12%
1965 68,000[17] 670,981[16] 10%
1981 76,430[4] 1,033,196[18] 7%
Republic of Namibia (1990–) 2011 75,000 – 120,000 2,113,077 4–7%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Namibia vows to change 'status-quo' of white-farm ownership".
  2. ^ Namibian.org – retrieved 3 February 2016
  3. ^ Namibia-Travel – retrieved 3 February 2016
  4. ^ a b Weigend, Guido G. (April 1985). "German Settlement Patterns in Namibia". Geographical Review. 75 (2): 156–169. doi:10.2307/214466. JSTOR 214466.
  5. ^ "Namibia | South African History Online".
  6. ^ "A Brief History of Namibia". 14 March 2021.
  7. ^ Namibians plan white farm grabs in BBC News, 5 November 2003
  8. ^ Garcia, C. Tapia. "Land Reform / Réforme agraire / Reforma agraria /". Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  9. ^ Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now in The New York Times, 26 December 1988
  10. ^ Risser, Namibia's White Warrior FIFA, 23 January 2008
  11. ^ "Dr. Japie van Zyl". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  12. ^ Garvey, Marcus (5 November 1995). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. IX: Africa for the Africans June 1921 – December 1922. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520916821.
  13. ^ a b Hackl, Dietmar. "History of Namibia – The Independence". www.namib.info. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  14. ^ a b Jeremy, Silvester (13 July 2015). Re-Viewing Resistance in Namibian History. University of Namibia Press. ISBN 9789991642277.
  15. ^ "An atlas of Namibia's population: monitoring and understanding its characteristics" (PDF). Namibia Central Bureau of Statistics. 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Namibia Population 1950 – 2050". www.bluemarblecitizen.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  17. ^ "Namibia Virtual Jewish History Tour | Jewish Virtual Library". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Population – Namibia – Africa". www.countriesquest.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
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