Lüderitz

History

The bay on which Lüderitz is situated was first known to Europeans when Bartolomeu Dias encountered it in 1487. He named the bay Angra Pequena () and erected a padrão (stone cross) on the southern peninsula. In the 18th century, Dutch adventurers and scientists explored the area in search of minerals, but did not have much success. Further exploration expeditions followed in the early 19th century, during which the vast wildlife in the ocean was discovered. Profitable enterprises were set up, including whaling, seal hunting, fishing, and guano harvesting. Lüderitz thus began its life as a trading post. The town was founded in 1883 when Heinrich Vogelsang purchased Angra Pequena and some of the surrounding land on behalf of Adolf Lüderitz, a Hanseatic from Bremen in Germany, from the local Nama chief Josef Frederiks II in Bethanie. On 7 August 1884, the German Flag was officially hoisted in Angra Pequena. When Adolf Lüderitz did not return from an expedition to the Orange River in 1886, Angra Pequena was named Lüderitzbucht in his honour. In 1905, German authorities established a concentration camp on Shark Island. The camp, access to which was very restricted, operated between 1905 and 1907 during the Herero Wars. Between 1,000 and 3,000 Africans from the Herero and Nama tribes died here as a result of the tragic conditions of forced labour. Their labour was used for the expansion of the city, railway, port, and on the farms of white settlers. In 1909, after the discovery of diamonds nearby, Lüderitz enjoyed a sudden surge of prosperity due to the development of a diamond rush to the area. In 1912, Lüderitz already had 1,100 inhabitants, not counting the indigenous population. Although situated in a harsh environment between desert and Ocean, trade in the harbour…

Geography

Just outside Lüderitz lies the ghost town of Kolmanskop, a prominent tourist destination in the Namib Desert. This previously bustling diamond town is now abandoned and fights a constant struggle against being buried under the shifting dunes of the desert. The coastline of the area is recognised by Bird Life and other global conservation groups as being an Important Bird Area (IBA), i.e., vital for coastal seabird breeding. In April 2009, an oil spill from an oil tanker risked the safety of countless African penguins and numerous other species of endemic flora and fauna. Several species of cetacean, notably the diminutive Heaviside's dolphin, can be seen closer to shore; larger whales such as southern right, humpback, minke, fin, and pygmy right are found in pelagic zones further from the mainland. Lüderitz has a cold desert climate (BWk, according to the Köppen climate classification), with cool to mild temperatures throughout the year and very little precipitation; average annual rainfall is just . Windy, overcast and cold conditions can occur due to the cold South Atlantic current on the coast.

Most-observed species

• Kelp Gull

  Larus dominicanus M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1823 · Aves
  317
• African Oystercatcher

  Haematopus moquini Bonaparte, 1856 · Aves
  307
• Hartlaub's Gull

  Chroicocephalus hartlaubii (Bruch, 1855) · Aves
  262
• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  182
• Pied Crow

  Corvus albus Statius Muller, 1776 · Aves
  179
• Cape Cormorant

  Phalacrocorax capensis (Sparrman, 1788) · Aves
  177
• Ruddy Turnstone

  Arenaria interpres (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  163
• Great Crested Tern

  Thalasseus bergii (M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1823) · Aves
  159