| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Swakopmund |
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(sfä´kôpm nt) (KEY) , municipality (1991 pop. 17,681), W Namibia, on the Atlantic at mouth of Swakop River. A rail terminus and seaside resort surrounded by the Namib desert, the town was originally a port for German South West Africa, but the harbor silted up and was supplanted by Walvis Bay after 1915. There is a strong German architectural influence in the town, which has many Bavarian-style buildings. There are salt, garnet, and uranium deposits in the region, as well as a Chinese orbital tracking station. Founded in 1892 by German settlers, Swakopmund was captured by South Africa in 1915. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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