Keetmanshoop

Geography

Close to Keetmanshoop is the Naute Dam and the Neckartal Dam, the largest dam in the country. The town is situated near two quiver tree forests, one of them being a national monument and a major tourist attraction of Namibia. It is also close to the Giant's Playground, a natural geological feature formed about 180 million years ago that consists of dolerite rocks that look as if they were stacked by giants. Near Keetsmanshoop are notable localities for fossil Mesosaurus, an extinct genus of reptile from the Early Permian of southern Africa and South America. Keetmanshoop has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with long, very hot summers and cool winters. The annual average rainfall is only . Keetmanshoop is one of the sunniest places year-round on the planet with a mean sunshine duration over 3,870 hours yearly or 10.7 hours of sunshine daily, well above 87% of the time. The annual mean temperature is 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) with a mean annual high of 28.8 °C (83.8 °F) and a low of 13.3 °C (55.9 °F). The climate is characterised by sunshine and dryness as well as moderate heat all year long.

Most-observed species

• Social Weaver

  Philetairus socius (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  59
• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  51
• Dusky Sunbird

  Cinnyris fuscus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  47
• Pied Barbet

  Tricholaema leucomelas (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  46
• Pale-winged Starling

  Onychognathus nabouroup (Daudin, 1800) · Aves
  42
• Rosy-faced Lovebird

  Agapornis roseicollis (Vieillot, 1818) · Aves
  38
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37
• Rock Martin

  Ptyonoprogne fuligula (Lichtenstein, 1842) · Aves
  35