Editing Hardap Region

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Hardap Region
| native_name             = 
| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type         = [[regions of Namibia|Region]]
| image_skyline           = 
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = 
| image_flag              = 
| flag_alt                = 
| image_seal              = 
| seal_alt                = 
| image_shield            = 
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| mottoeng                =
| image_map               = Hardap in Namibia.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Location of the Hardap Region in [[Namibia]]
| pushpin_map             = 
| pushpin_label_position  = 
| pushpin_map_alt         = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| coordinates             = 
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [[Namibia]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = Capital
| seat                    = [[Mariental, Namibia|Mariental]]
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = 
| leader_title            = Governor
| leader_name             = [[Salomon April]]<ref name=Goodbye>{{cite news | url=https://www.namibiansun.com/news/goodbye2020-04-08/ | title=Goodbye | date=10 April 2020 | page=1 | newspaper=[[Namibian Sun]]}}</ref>
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref name=ElectionWatch>{{cite journal
|year=2013
|title=Namibia's Population by Region
|journal=Election Watch
|publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research
|issue=1
|page=3}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 109,781
| area_land_km2           = 
| area_water_km2          = 
| area_water_percent      = 
| area_note               = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| population_footnotes    = <ref name =Census2011>{{cite web |url=https://cms2.my.na/assets/documents/p19dptss1qomtvt476iefc1p535.pdf |title=Hardap 2011 Census Regional Profile |access-date=10 April 2020 |website=Statistics Namibia |df=dmy }}{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsa.nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Preliminary-Report-doc-fn.pdf|title=2023 Population & Housing Census Preliminary  Report|website=Statistics Namibia|df=dmy|access-date=2024-03-16|archive-date=2024-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324152514/https://nsa.nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Preliminary-Report-doc-fn.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_total        = 106,680
| population_as_of        = 2023 census
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = 
| population_note         = 
| timezone                = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset              = +2
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = 
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2017)
| blank_info_sec1         = 0.665<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br/>{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of Namibian regions by Human Development Index|5th]]
| website                 = {{URL|https://hardaprc.gov.na}}
| footnotes               = 
}}
{{Contains special characters|Khoekhoe}}

'''Hardap''' is one of the fourteen [[regions of Namibia]], its capital is [[Mariental, Namibia|Mariental]]. Hardap contains the municipality of Mariental, the towns [[Rehoboth, Namibia|Rehoboth]] and [[Aranos]], and the self-governed villages [[Gibeon, Namibia|Gibeon]], [[Gochas]], [[Kalkrand]], [[Stampriet]] and [[Maltahöhe]]. It is home to the [[Hardap Dam]].

==Geography==

Hardap stretches the entire width of Namibia, from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] in the west to Namibia's eastern national border. In the northeast, it borders the [[Kgalagadi District]] of [[Botswana]], and in the southeast, it borders the [[Northern Cape]] Province of [[South Africa]]. Domestically, it borders the following regions:
*[[Erongo Region|Erongo]] – northwest
*[[Khomas Region|Khomas]] – north central
*[[Omaheke]] – northeast
*[[ǁKaras Region|ǁKaras]] – south

==Politics==
[[File:Wahlkreise in Hardap (2014).svg|thumb|360px|right|Hardap constituencies (2014)]]

As of 2020, Hardap had 52,534 registered voters.<ref name=election2020>{{Cite web | title=Regional Council 2020 Election Results | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | date=18 January 2021 | series=''Interactive map'' | url=http://elections.na/ | accessdate=19 March 2021 | archive-date=12 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612210020/https://elections.na/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>  The region comprises eight [[Constituencies of Namibia|electoral constituencies]]:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Gibeon Constituency|Gibeon]]
* [[Mariental Rural]]
* [[Mariental Urban]]
* [[Rehoboth Rural]]
* [[Rehoboth Urban East]]
* [[Rehoboth Urban West]]
* [[Aranos Constituency|Aranos]] (created in 2013)
* [[Daweb Constituency|Daweb]] (created in 2013)
{{div col end}}

As in all other regions, [[SWAPO]] was by far the strongest political party since [[Independence of Namibia|Namibian independence]]. In February 2009, then-governor Hanse-Himarwa was condemned by the [[National Society for Human Rights]] of Namibia for declaring Hardap Region "SWAPO territory" and urging supporters not to allow other political parties to "invade" the region.<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 February 2009|title=Hardap Governor Incites Violence|publisher=NamRights (National Society for Human Rights (Namibia))|location=Windhoek, Namibia|url=http://www.nshr.org.na/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=1059|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722234402/http://www.nshr.org.na/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=1059|archive-date=22 July 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=9 November 2009}}</ref> 

===Presidential elections===
In the [[2004 Namibian general election|2004 presidential election]], the region supported [[Hifikepunye Pohamba]] of [[SWAPO]] with a narrow absolute majority of the votes (52%), following by [[Ben Ulenga]] of [[Congress of Democrats]] (21%) and [[Katuutire Kaura]] of the [[Democratic Turnhalle Alliance]] (16%). Four other candidates combined for the 11%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hardap Region 2004 President results|publisher=Election Watch Namibia|url=http://www.electionwatch.org.na/node/40?q=fullpresresults2004&region=Hardap|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722234224/http://www.electionwatch.org.na/node/40?q=fullpresresults2004&region=Hardap|archive-date=22 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Regional elections===
In the [[2004 Namibian local and regional elections|2004 regional election]] for the [[National Assembly of Namibia]], SWAPO won all six constituencies.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Electoral Act, 1992: Notification of Result of General Election for Regional Councils | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=3366 | page=15 | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=3 January 2005 | url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2005/3366.pdf}}</ref>

In the [[Namibian local and regional elections, 2015|2015 regional elections]] SWAPO obtained 65% of the total votes ([[2010 Namibian local and regional elections|2010]]: 60%)<ref name=election2020/> and won seven of the eight constituencies with only Rehoboth Urban West narrowly won by the opposition.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Regional Council Election Results 2015 | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | date=3 December 2015 | pages=2–3 | url=http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/223442/Regional+Counils+Election+Results_Duly+elected+candidates+2015.pdf/32493774-80b3-4be3-9ca1-1f6ce187673a?version=1.0 | access-date=21 December 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208163948/http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/223442/Regional+Counils+Election+Results_Duly+elected+candidates+2015.pdf/32493774-80b3-4be3-9ca1-1f6ce187673a?version=1.0 | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Mixed results for opposition in regional polls | last=Menges | first=Werner | newspaper=[[The Namibian]] | date=29 November 2015 | url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?page=archive-read&id=144849}}</ref> In the [[2020 Namibian local and regional elections|2020 regional election]] the [[Landless People's Movement (Namibia)|Landless People's Movement]] (LPM, an opposition party formed in 2016) was the strongest party. It obtained 45% of votes overall and won seven of the eight constituencies.<ref name=election2020/>

===Governors===
* [[Katrina Hanse-Himarwa]] (2004–2015)<ref>{{Cite web | title=Hanse-Himarwa, Katrina |publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | url=http://www.parliament.na/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=979:hanse-himarwa-katrina&catid=89&Itemid=1474 | access-date=2 February 2016}}</ref> 
* [[Esme Sophia Isaack]] (2015–2020)<ref name=Governor>{{Cite news | title=President announces governors | newspaper=[[The Namibian]] | date=10 April 2015 | url=http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=25471 | access-date=14 April 2015 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150414075438/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=25471 | archive-date=14 April 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Salomon April]] (2020–present)<ref name=Goodbye/>

==Economy and infrastructure==
Hardap has 55 schools with a total of 21,886 pupils. The region has good infrastructure with well-developed road networks.<ref>{{cite news
|title=School counsellors overstretched
|last1=Miyanicwe
|first1=Clemans
|last2=Kahiurika
|first2=Ndanki
|date=27 November 2013
|work=[[The Namibian]]
|page=1}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[Image:HardapDam.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Hardap Dam, outside of Mariental, at sunrise in April 2008]]
According to the Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census, Hardap had a population of 106,680 (52,357 females and 54,323 males or 104 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 2.4%. The [[fertility rate]] was 3.7 children per woman. 74.3% lived in urban areas while 25.7% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 109,651&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the population density was 1.0 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. By age, 11.9% of the population was under 5 years old, 21.4% between 5 and 14 years, 58.3% between 15 and 59 years, and 8.4% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 28,197 households, with an average size of 3.6 persons. 43.6% of households had a female head of house, while 56.4% had a male. For those 15 years and older, 68.5% had never married, 21.6% married with certificate, 0.6% married traditionally, 3.1% married by consensual union, 1.9% were divorced or separated, and 3.9% were widowed.<ref name=census>{{cite web |title=Hardap Region – Census Indicators, 2023 |url=https://census.nsanamibia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf |publisher=National Planning Commission |year=2023 |access-date=2024-04-08}}</ref>

The most commonly spoken languages at home were [[Afrikaans]] (44% of households), and [[Nama language|Nama]]/[[Damara (people)|Damara]] (44%). For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 83%. Nearly half of the population are from coloured and white Namibian groups. In terms of education, 84% of girls and 83% of boys between the ages of 6–15 were attending school, and of those older than 15, 73% had left school, 9% were currently at school, and 13% had never attended.<ref name=census/>

In 2001 the employment rate for the labor force (64% of those 15+) was 66% employed and 34% unemployed. For those 15+ years old and not in the labor force (29%), 29% were students, 37% home-makers, and 33% retired, too old, etc.<ref name=census/> According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Hardap Region stood at 28.8%. The two studies are methodologically not comparable.<ref>{{cite news
 |url         = http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high/
 |title       = Unemployment rate still alarmingly high
 |last        = Duddy
 |first       = Jo Maré
 |date        = 11 April 2013
 |newspaper   = [[The Namibian]]
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130414025748/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high
 |archive-date = 14 April 2013
}}</ref>

Among households, 93.2% had [[safe water]], 32.0% no toilet facility, 62.1% electricity for lighting, and 42.1% had wood or charcoal for cooking. In terms of household's main sources of income, 3.8% derived it from farming, 56.1% from wages and salaries, 3.4% from business or non-farming, and 15.9% from pension.<ref name=census/>

In 2011, 5.1% of the entire population had a disability, of which 6.3% were deaf, 10.8% hearing impaired, 6.8% blind, 22.2% visually impaired, 5.1% had a speech disability, 11.2% upper limb disability, 26.5% lower limb disability, and 16.0% mental disability.<ref name =Census2011/>

==External links==
* [https://hardaprc.gov.na Hardap Regional Council official website]
{{Commons|Hardap}}
{{Wikivoyage|Hardap}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Literature===
* {{Cite book|author=National Planning Commission (Namibia)|year=2007|title=Hardap Regional Poverty Profile: based on village-level participatory poverty assessments in Hardap Region, Namibia: October 2005-February 2006|location=Windhoek, Namibia|publisher=Office of the President|oclc=475404251}}
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{{Regions of Namibia}}
{{Constituencies of the Hardap Region}}

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[[Category:Hardap Region| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Namibia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1992]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in Namibia]]