tallguy / Mapillary (CC BY-SA 4.0) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Katima Mulilo
Sign in to savetown in Zambezi Region, Namibia
Weather now
cached 7h agoPlace details
- Locality
- Katima Mulilo
- Region
- Zambezi Region
- Country
- Namibia
- Population
- 33,615
- Timezone
- Africa/Windhoek
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Country
- Namibia
- Region
- Zambezi Region
- Constituency
- Katima Mulilo Urban
- Type
- Town Council
- Mayor
- John Ntemwa
- Total
- 44.9 km (17.3 sq mi)
- Land
- 44.9 km (17.3 sq mi)
- Water
- 0 km (0 sq mi)
- Elevation
- 950 m (3,120 ft)
- Density
- 1,033/km (2,680/sq mi)
- Time zone
- UTC+2 ( CAT )
- Area code
- 066
- Climate
- BSh
- Website
- kmtc .org .na
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Official name
- Katima Mulilo
- Population
- 46401
- Area
- 33.4
- Elevation
- 946
- Image
- Katima Mulilo Bridge.jpg
- Dialing code
- 66
Show 5 more facts
- postal code
- 5530
- inception
- 1935-00-00
- native label
- Katima Mulilo
- Commons category
- Katima Mulilo
- P12749
- Dèvè
via Wikidata · CC0
Travel guide
Understand
thumb|Katima Mulilo Bridge The town sits amidst lush riverine vegetation with tropical birds and monkeys. The area around Katima Mulilo is inhabited by members of the Masubia and Mafwe tribes.
Katima was of military importance since colonial times due to its proximity to neighboring countries and the Zambezi as possible transport route. The Namibian Defence Force still has a strong presence here. Since the opening of the Katima Mulilo Bridge in 2004 that spans the Zambezi River and connects the Zambian Copperbelt with the Namibian deep sea harbour at Walvis Bay, Katima Mulilo has become a boom town that attracts significant investment. This development has, however, also fanned illegal business activities, and driven the establishment of shanty towns to an extent that endangers social stability.
Since being proclaimed a town in 1999, development has been steady but as of 2024, Katima Mulilo does not fully compare to more established towns and cities in Namibia. Few streets are tarred, and there is a lack of street lights and sewerage. Many residents use the bushes for lack of toilet facilities, and there have been many outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhea.
Get in
Katima Mulilo is on the national road B8. The nearest Namibian town to Katima Mulilo is Rundu, about 500 km away. About 40 km east of Katima Mulilo lies the village of Bukalo, where the road to Ngoma branches off that joins Namibia to Botswana.
There are flights from Windhoek a few times a week. There are usually no cabs at the airport (as of 2022) so make sure to have your transportation solved or be prepared to walk.
Get around
Katima Mulilo, like many other small towns in Namibia, has local taxis that charge N$13 or N$26 for a ride. Tourists always pay N$26.
Stay safe
Taking pictures of military equipment and infrastructure is illegal in Namibia and can cost you your camera, in exchange for some days of free accommodation in holding cells. As the military is really everywhere in Katima, take a good look around before getting out your camera.
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~12 min read
Article
Katima Mulilo, or simply Katima is the capital of the Zambezi Region in Namibia. It had 46,401 inhabitants in 2023, and comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban. It is located on the B8 national road on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Caprivi Strip in lush riverine vegetation with tropical birds and monkeys. The town receives annual average rainfall of 654 millimetres (25.7 in).
The nearest Namibian town to Katima Mulilo is Rundu, about 500 km away. About 40 km east of Katima Mulilo lies the village of Bukalo, where the road to Ngoma branches off and joins Namibia to Botswana.
Gallery (4)
On the map
2 mapped locations