Transport in Namibia
This article deals with the system of transport in Namibia, both public and private.
General
History
The beginnings of organised travel and transport routes in the territory of South West Africa, today Namibia, have not yet been established. This is due to the lack of any written records relating to roads prior to the twilight of the 19th century. Archaeological work has dated one stretch of road in the south-western Brandberg Massif to 1250 AD. Although no other such early examples have been found, it is certain that this road was not the only one of its kind.The first permanent road, established for ox wagons, was built at the initiative of Heinrich Schmelen, Rhenish missionary in Bethanie in the early 19th century. It led from Bethanie to Angra Pequeña, today the town of Lüderitz, and was intended to serve the natural harbour there in order to become independent of the Cape Colony.
Road
Namibia's road network is regarded as one of the best on the continent; road construction and maintenance adheres to international standards. The country's 48,875.27 km roads are administered by the Roads Authority, a state-owned enterprise established by Act 17 of 1999. Due to low traffic volumes the majority of roads are not tarred. The distribution of road surfaces is:- standard bitumen road
- low-volume bitumen road. These roads have the same base layer as gravel roads but are covered with a thin layer of bitumen to reduce maintenance cost and dust formation.
- standard gravel road, covered with imported gravel.
- earth-graded road. These roads are built by clearing the vegetation and blading the surface. Compaction is achieved by the traffic using the road. Some of these roads are not graded at all but just consist of earth or sand tracks separated by vegetation. These tracks are in use where a daily usage of less than five vehicles is expected.
- salt road. These roads consist of concentrated salt water and gypsum-rich material. They are only built near the Atlantic coast inside the mist belt.
Roads by region (2017)
- from Windhoek to Okahandja,.
- in two discontinuous sections, first running from Noordoewer to the southern terminus of the A1 in Windhoek, then resuming at the northern terminus of the A1 in Okahandja and running to Oshikango. Combined, the two sections have a length of.
- from Walvis Bay to Okahandja,.
- from Ariamsvlei to Grünau,.
- from Lüderitz to Keetmanshoop,.
- from Windhoek to Buitepos,.
- from Otavi via Katima Mulilo to Ngoma,.
- from the Ohangwena Region to Rundu,.
- from Nkurenkuru to Katwitwi,.
- from Grootfontein to Gobabis,.
- from Tsumeb to Mpungu,.
Road accidents
Railway
Rail transport in Namibia is operated on a 2,687-kilometre network by TransNamib.File:TransNamib near Kolmanskop.jpg|thumb|TransNamib train near Kolmanskop.
Railway links to adjacent countries
- Angola - There is currently no rail connection to Angola, although an agreement has been signed for a link. Angola uses the same gauge,, as Namibia.
- Botswana - There is currently no rail link with Botswana, though the two countries use the same gauge. As of February 2011, construction on a Trans-Kalahari rail link between Botswanan coal fields and Walvis Bay was expected to begin in a year and a half.
- South Africa - There is a rail connection to South Africa; the two countries use the same gauge.
- Zambia - There is currently no rail-link with Zambia, though the two countries use the same gauge. As of February 2011, there has been some talk of extending rail to the Zambian border.
Ports and harbours
Atlantic Ocean
- Walvis Bay - railhead
- Lüderitz - railhead
Merchant marine