Ombalantu baobab tree

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Short description|Baobab tree in Namibia}}

File:Ombalantu_Baobab_Tree.jpg

The Ombalantu baobab tree, known also as a Tree of Life or Omukwa waaMbalantu, is a giant baobab tree of the species Adansonia digitata, situated in Outapi in the north of Namibia on the M123 Main Road to Tsandi. It is {{convert|28|m|ft}} tall, {{convert|26.5|m|ft}} in circumference, and estimated to be about 800 years old.{{cite news

|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=71909&no_cache=1

|title=Namibia: History of the Ombalantu Baobab Tree

|last=Bause

|first=Tanja

|date=31 August 2010

|newspaper=The Namibian}}

The tree trunk has been fitted with a door and can accommodate about 35 people. It has served as a chapel, post office, house, and a hiding site during various stages of Namibian history. {{As of|2014|alt=Today}} the tree is a tourist attraction, called "Ombalantu Baobab Tree Heritage Site". Since December 2004{{Cite news

|title=The Baoba tree, Outapi's gold mine

|last=Amukwaya

|first=Yvonne

|newspaper=The Namibian

|publisher=Focus on the North supplement, page 7

|date=21 August 2014}} the site features a display of the tree's history and role in the Owambo community, as well as the history of the Namibian struggle for independence.{{cite web

|url = http://www.natron.net/nacobta/ombalantu/main.html

|title = North (Omusati): Ombalantu Baobab Tree Heritage Centre and Campsite

|publisher = Namibia Travel Online

|accessdate = 16 March 2011

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511041156/http://www.natron.net/nacobta/ombalantu/main.html

|archivedate = 11 May 2011

|df = dmy-all

}}