BRIEF INSIGHTS INTO NAMIBIA’S TRNSPORT

GEOGRAPHY

- A sovereign country located along the Atlantic Coast of Southern

Africa.

- Shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to

the east, and South Africa to the south.

- Namibia is a member state of the:

o United Nations (UN),

o Southern African Development Community (SADC),

o African Union (AU), and

o the Commonwealth of Nations.

- It is named after the Namib Desert.

- The capital and largest city, Windhoek, is in the centre of the

country. It is home to the country's Central Administrative Region,

Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport and the country's

railhead. Other important towns are:

Arandis, uranium mine

Walvis Bay, sea port, international airport, railhead

Oshakati, main business centre in the North, railhead

Otjiwarongo, main business centre in Central-North, rail junction

Lüderitz, sea port, railhead

Gobabis, farming centre

Keetmanshoop, railhead

Tsumeb, mining

Swakopmund, Tourism (Ex German Colonial town)

Rundu - ??

Katima Mulilo - ??

NAMIBIA: Satellite view

NAMIBIA: MAJOR ROADS

- The Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a paved highway corridor that provides a direct route

from Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central Namibia, through Botswana, to Johannesburg

and Pretoria in Gauteng province in South Africa.

- Officially opened in 1998, the corridor also includes railway lines from Walvis Bay as far

as Gobabis in Namibia, and from Johannesburg as far as Lobatse in Botswana.

- The Maputo Corridor provides an onwards connection from Gauteng to Maputo in

Mozambique.

- Together these corridors form a unique road connection between Walvis Bay on the

Atlantic and Maputo on the Indian Ocean; the connected regions are also known as the

Walvis Bay–Botswana–Gauteng–Maputo development corridor

Road

- Namibia's road network is regarded as one of the best on the continent; road construction

and maintenance adheres to international standards.

- More than 44,500 kilometres (27,700 mi) roads

- Due to low traffic volumes the majority of roads are not tarred. The distribution of road

surfaces is:

6,664 kilometres (4,141 mi) standard bitumen road

412 kilometres (256 mi) 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.

25,710 kilometres (15,980 mi) standard gravel road, covered with imported gravel.

11,460 kilometres (7,120 mi) 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.

288 kilometres (179 mi) 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.

The major highways in Namibia are:

B1 from Noordoewer (South African border) to Oshikango (Angolan border), 1694 km

B2 from Walvis Bay to Okahandja, 285 km

B3 from Nakop (South African border) to Grünau, 324 km

B4 from Lüderitz to Keetmanshoop, 351 km

B6 from Windhoek to Buitepos (Botswana border), 314 km

B8 from Otavi to Katima Mulilo (Zambian border), 837 km

RAIL TRANSPORT

In 2005, a line to Ondangwa near the Angolan border was under construction.

Railways in Namibia are operated by TransNamib.

Total track: 2,382 km Total narrow gauge track: 2,382 km 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge;

single track (2002, 1995)

SEA TRANSPORT

Ports and harbours

Atlantic Ocean

Walvis Bay - railhead

Lüderitz - railhead

Airports

Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport in the country,

though there is only one other: the Walvis Bay Airport.

Airports - with paved runways

- The following routes served by Air Namibian give us a picture on the currently operational

domestic and international airports in namibia

Source: http://www.airnamibia.com/plan-book/routes_schedule/