Walvis Bay

Also known as Walfish Bay

city and harbour in Erongo Region, Namibia

AI overview

Walvis Bay is a city and harbor located in the Erongo Region of Namibia on the southwestern coast of Africa. It serves as an important port facility for the region, making it a significant hub for maritime trade and commerce.

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Place details

Locality: Walvis Bay
Region: Erongo Region
Country: Namibia
Population: 73,598
Timezone: Africa/Windhoek

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Wikidata facts

Official name: Walvis Bay, Walfish Bay
Population: 102704
Area: 1124000000
Elevation: 6
Official website: www.walvisbaycc.org.na
Image: NA WalvisBay Aeroview.JPG
Dialing code: 64
Licence plate code: WB

Show 6 more facts

Commons category: Walvis Bay
inception: 1840-00-00
Commons gallery: Walvis Bay
postal code: 5017
native label: Walvisbaai
P12749: Category:Sports competitions in Tanzania

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Get around

Cars can be hired at Walvis Bay Airport.

See

The Walvis Bay Lagoon is just south-west of town, a wetland for migratory birds. The Lagoon is a habitat for flamingos and the endangered Damara tern. For a larger and more impressive wetland and flamingo colony, visit Sandwich Harbour, a bay and lagoon south of town. You will need a 4x4 to navigate the sand.

Do

thumb|Phoenicopterus roseus in Walvis Bay thumb|Panoramic view of the salt flats of Walvis Bay

There are quite some activities to do in Walvis Bay.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~21 min read

Article

Walvis Bay (Afrikaans: Walvisbaai; German: Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of 29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) of land. The bay is a haven for sea vessels due to its harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, which is the only natural deep-water harbour along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also draw large numbers of southern right whales, attracting whalers and fishing vessels.

A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value about the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in 1485. The importance of the harbour, combined with its extreme isolation by land, explains the complicated political history of the town. For much of its history, Walvis Bay was governed as an exclave separate from the rest of the territory that today is Namibia.