Mariental, Namibia

Named by local Rhenish (German Lutheran) missionaries, the town was founded in 1912 as a railway stop between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop and named after Maria, the wife of the first colonial settler of the area, Hermann Brandt. It is home to the oldest Dutch Reformed church congregation in Namibia, founded in 1898. It was proclaimed a town in 1920 and a municipality in 1946. Mariental is home to a large number of Nama-speaking people, descendants of the early Khoi inhabitants of Namibia. The people of Mariental are known for their big smiles and hospitality.

Mariental is situated on the B1 national road {{convert|232|km|abbr=on}} north of Keetmanshoop and {{convert|274|km|abbr=on}} southeast of Windhoek. It lies at an elevation of {{convert|1090|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Mariental is connected to the TransNamib railway line from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop.{{Cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/365141/Mariental|title = Mariental | Namibia}}

{{main|Hardap Dam}}

The Hardap Dam, situated {{Convert|22|km}} northwest of Mariental, is the second largest dam in Namibia. It supplies the city with water and controls the flow of the Fish River which flows in a southerly direction past the town. Hardap Dam has a capacity of {{convert|320|e6m3|cuyd}} and a surface area of {{convert|25|km2|ha|abbr=on}}. Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1963.{{Cite web | title=Hardap Resort | publisher=Namibia Wildlife Ressorts | accessdate=21 February 2017 | url=http://namibianwildliferesorts.com/accommodation/hardap-resort/}}

Before the dam was built, Mariental was flooded in 1923 and 1934. However, whenever dam sluices have to be opened fully due to good rains in the Fish River's catchment area, Mariental is still prone to floods, with reed grasses growing in the riverbed of the Fish River slowing down the flow of water and aggravating the danger.{{Cite news | title=NamWater opens Hardap Dam sluices | last=Cloete | first=Luqman | newspaper=The Namibian | date=21 February 2017 | page=1 | url=http://www.namibian.com.na/51389/read/NamWater-opens-Hardap-Dam-sluices }} (Full information only in the print version)

Floods after the commissioning of the dam occurred in 1972, 1974, 1976, 2000, and 2006. Since then, the dam's water level is kept at a maximum of 70% of its capacity to prevent both an overflow and an uncontrolled outflow through fully opened sluices.

{{Historical populations|2001|9,836|2011|12,478|2023|18,494|percentages=pagr|align=none|footnote=Sources:{{cite web | title=4.2.2 Urban population by Census years (2001 and 2011) | url=http://cms.my.na/assets/documents/p19dmn58guram30ttun89rdrp1.pdf | work=Namibia 2011 - Population and Housing Census Main Report | publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency | access-date=1 November 2024 | page=39}}{{cite web | title=4.5 Population by town and census years (2011 and 2023) | url=https://nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf | work=Namibia 2023 - Population and Housing Census. Main Report | publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency | access-date=23 November 2024 | pages=33–34}}}}

Mariental has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with extremely hot summers and very warm winters (with warm days and cold nights). The average annual precipitation is {{convert|194|mm|0|abbr=on}}. On 11 November 2021, a maximum temperature of {{convert|44.0|C|1}} was registered.{{cite web |url=https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=68212&ano=2022&mes=1&day=28&hora=0&min=0&ndays=30|title=68212: Mariental (Namibia) |author= |date=27 January 2022 |website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET|access-date=28 January 2022 }}

{{climate chart|Mariental

|20|35|37

|20|34|59

|18|32|44

|13|29|15

|8|26|2

|4|23|2

|3|23|0

|5|25|0

|9|29|1

|13|31|7

|16|34|13

|19|35|14

|float=right

|source=[http://www.worldclimateguide.co.uk/climateguides/namibia/mariental.php World Climate Guide]}}

The nearby Hardap Dam is the second largest reservoir in Namibia and provides water for irrigation, making it possible to cultivate animal fodder, as well as corn, fruits and vegetables. The town is surrounded by flourishing commercial farms which, due to the low annual rainfall in the area focus on game farming as well as sheep and ostrich farming - which along with cattle farming remain popular in the region. Export grapes, cotton lucern and dairy farming is also sustained by irrigation from the Hardap Dam.

The Hardap Correctional Facility in Mariental is one of Namibia's seven major prisons.{{Cite news | title=743 convicts in jail for rape | last=Vatileni | first=Eino | newspaper=The Namibian | date=15 February 2022 | page=1 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/743-convicts-in-jail-for-rape/}}

A local ostrich abattoir used to cater for this increasingly important industry, but recently went bankrupt. What survives of the karakul trade in the south is also centered around Mariental. Sitting astride the main route into the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, Mariental services the needs of farmers in these areas. Mariental boasts some of the best safari and hunting experiences in Namibia at lodges like Lapa Lange and Anib Lodge. Available game include springbuck, blesbuck, giraffe, ostrich, leopard, zebra, kudu, gemsbuck, hartebeest, eland, blue- and black wildebeest.

The German association “Fahrräder für Afrika e.V.” (Bicycles for Africa) has built a “Bicycle Empowerment Centre” in the town together with the Catholic Aids Action (CAA) and the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN) Namibia. Local people infected with the HI-virus were trained to repair and build bikes and also received training on how to run the workshop on their own. Second-hand Bicycles are being sold at low prices to the inhabitants of the region, allowing easy travel and transportation, while the income from the workshops is used to finance local aid projects. The project is supported by governmental agencies in Germany and Namibia.{{Cite news | title=Bike container creates jobs | last=Bause | first=Tanja | newspaper=The Namibian | date=23 September 2011 | page=1 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=85832&page=archive-read}}

Mariental is governed by a municipal council that has seven seats.{{Cite news | title=Know Your Local Authority | publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research | newspaper=Election Watch | year = 2015 | issue=3 | page=4}}

The 2015 local authority election was won by the SWAPO party which gained six seats (1,325 votes). The remaining seat went to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA, 139 votes).{{cite web | title=Local elections results | publisher=Electoral Commission of Namibia | page=3 | url=http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | date=28 November 2015 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210194328/http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | archivedate=10 December 2015 }} The 2020 local authority election was won by the newly formed Landless People's Movement (LPM) which scored well all over Hardap. LPM gained 1,726 votes and four seats in the city council, followed by SWAPO with two seats (906 votes). The likewise new Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) obtained the remaining seat with 180 votes.{{Cite web | title=2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats | page=3 | date=29 November 2020 | publisher=Electoral Commission of Namibia | url=https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | accessdate=3 December 2020 | archive-date=24 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124162938/https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | url-status=dead }}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{coord|24|38|S|17|58|E|region:NA_type:city|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Namibia

Category:Mariental, Namibia

Category:Regional capitals in Namibia

Category:Populated places in the Hardap Region

Category:Populated places established in 1912

Category:1912 establishments in German South West Africa