Editing Khomas Region

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                            = Khomas 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                   = 
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| image_seal                      = 
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| nickname                        = 
| motto                           = 
| image_map                       = Khomas in Namibia.svg
| map_alt                         = 
| map_caption                     = Location of the Khomas Region in [[Namibia]]
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| coordinates                     = 
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| coordinates_footnotes           = 
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = [[Namibia]]
| established_title               = 
| established_date                = 
| founder                         = 
| seat_type                       = Capital
| seat                            = [[Windhoek]]
| government_footnotes            = 
| leader_party                    = 
| leader_title                    = Governor
| leader_name                     = [[Sam Nujoma jr.]]
| population_as_of                = 2023 census
| population_density_km2          = auto
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| timezone                        = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset                      = +2
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| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2018)
| blank_info_sec1                 = 0.732<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=2020-09-18}}</ref><br/>{{color|#0c0|high}} · [[List of Namibian regions by Human Development Index|1st]]
| website                         = https://www.khomasrc.gov.na/
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}}

'''Khomas''' is one of the fourteen [[regions of Namibia]]. Its name refers to the Khomas Highland, a high plateau landscape that dominates this administrative subdivision. Khomas is centered on the capital city [[Windhoek]] and provides for this reason superior transportation infrastructure. It is located in the central highlands of the country and is bordered by the [[Erongo region]] to the west and the northwest and by the [[Otjozondjupa region]] to the north. To the east is the [[Omaheke region]], while in the south is the [[Hardap region]]. The region is characterized by its hilly countrysize and many valleys. It has well-developed economical, financial, and trade sectors. Khomas Region occupies 4.5% of the land area of Namibia<ref name=profile>{{cite news
 |title=ELECTIONS 2010: Khomas Region profile / New Era - Skills Shortage Worries Govt 
 |last=Kapitako 
 |first=Alvine 
 |newspaper=[[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]] 
 |date=12 November 2010 
 |url=http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=14052 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205005928/http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=14052 
 |archive-date= 5 December 2012 
}}</ref> but has the highest population of any of its regions (16.2%). Khomas is one of only three Namibian regions to have neither shoreline nor a foreign border.

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

Khomas is important electorally, as it is by far the most populous of the Namibian regions. {{As of|2020}}, it has 264,905 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=26 April 2021 | archive-date=12 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612210020/https://elections.na/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The governor of Khomas Region is [[Laura McLeod-Katjirua]].<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> The region comprises ten [[Constituencies of Namibia|constituencies]]:<ref>[http://www.ecn.gov.na/Khomas.htm Khomas constituencies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828230455/http://www.ecn.gov.na/Khomas.htm |date=2009-08-28 }} at the Electoral Commission of Namibia</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[John Pandeni Constituency|John Pandeni]] (until 2008: ''Soweto'')<ref>{{cite news | title=Constituency named after John Pandeni | last=Maletzky | first=Christof | newspaper=[[The Namibian]] | date=27 August 2008 | url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200808270569.html | publisher=allafrica.com | url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[Katutura Central]]
* [[Katutura East]]
* [[Khomasdal Constituency]] (until 2013: ''Khomasdal North Constituency'')<ref name=GG5261>{{Cite news | title=Creation of new regions and division and re-division of certain regions into constituencies: Regional Councils Act, 1992 | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=5261 | page=31 | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=9 August 2013 | url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2013/5261.pdf | format=pdf | access-date=12 September 2023 | archive-date=27 April 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427123633/https://www.parliament.na/index.php/archive/category/39-2013?download=1979:5261&start=140 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Moses ǁGaroëb Constituency|Moses ǁGaroëb]] (created in 2003 from a split of [[Hakahana]] constituency)<ref name=GG2942>{{Cite news | title=Re-division of certain regions into constituencies: Regional Councils Act, 1992 | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=2942 | pages=20–21 | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=28 March 2003 | url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2003/2942.pdf | format=pdf}}</ref>
* [[Samora Machel Constituency|Samora Machel]] (until 2003: ''Wanaheda'')<ref name=GG2942/>
* [[Tobias Hainyeko Constituency|Tobias Hainyeko]] (created in 2003 from a split of [[Hakahana]] constituency)<ref name=GG2942/>
* [[Windhoek West Constituency|Windhoek West]]
* [[Windhoek East]]
* [[Windhoek Rural]]
{{div col end}}

===Regional elections===
Khomas region and the capital Windhoek was until 2020 dominated by the [[South West Africa People's Organization]] (SWAPO) party. In the [[2004 Namibian local and regional elections|2004 regional election]] for the [[National Assembly of Namibia]], SWAPO won all ten 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=14 | 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 81% of the total votes ([[2010 Namibian local and regional elections|2010]]: 78%)<ref name=election2020/> and again won in all ten constituencies.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Regional Council Election Results 2015 | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | date=3 December 2015 | pages=9–10 | 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 | 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 | url-status=dead | archive-date=8 December 2015 }}</ref> In the [[2020 Namibian local and regional elections|2020 regional election]] SWAPO obtained 38% of the total votes. It was still the strongest party but lost [[Windhoek Rural]] to the [[Landless People's Movement (Namibia)|Landless People's Movement]] (LPM, a new party registered in 2018), [[Windhoek East]] to the [[Independent Patriots for Change]] (IPC, also a new party formed in August 2020), and [[Katutura Central]] to the [[Popular Democratic Movement]] (PDM).<ref name=election2020/>

==Economy and infrastructure==
Khomas has 100 schools with a total of 73,302 pupils.<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==
According to the Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census, Khomas has a population of 494,605 (253,520 females and 241,085 males or 95 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 3.1%. The [[fertility rate]] was 2.5 children per woman. 98.3% lived in urban areas while 1.7% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 37,007&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the population density was 13.4 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. By age, 10.6% of the population was under 5 years old, 17.4% between 5–14 years, 67.8% between 15–59 years, and 4.2% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 144,630 households, with an average size of 3.3 persons. 45.2% of households had a female head of house, while 54.8% had a male. For those 15 years and older, 72.5% had never married, 18.6% married with certificate, 2.0% married traditionally, 3.4% married by consensual union, 1.6% were divorced or separated, and 1.6% were widowed.<ref name=census>{{cite web|title=2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report |url=https://census.nsanamibia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf |publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency |year=2023 |access-date={{today}}}}</ref> 

In 2001, the most commonly spoken languages at home were [[Oshiwambo]] (37% of households), [[Afrikaans]] (24%), [[Nama language|Nama]]/[[Damara (people)|Damara]] (13%), and [[Otjiherero]] (9%). Other languages found in Khomas are English, German, and a smattering of other Namibian language groups.<ref name=HistDic>Tonchi, Victor L., William A. Lindeke, and John J. Grotpeter, "Khomas Region" Historical Dictionary of Namibia. 2nd edition. Toronto: The Scarecrow Press, Inc, p. 211.</ref> For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 95.8%. In terms of education, of those 15 years and older, 68.9% had left school, 24.5% were currently at school, and 4.7% had never attended.<ref name=census/>

Households in Khomas earn by far the highest average annual income at N$47,407, well more than the national average of N$17,198. There is very limited subsistence farming in the region, with only 0.4 percent of the population engaged in farming, 0.3 percent of households are rearing animals, and 0.1 percent are earning income from cash cropping. Windhoek accommodates most of Namibia's light industry and manufacturing. Some of the most important are meat processing, bottling and canning, beer brewing, plastics, and refrigeration. The city is also Namibia's educational, commercial, and tourism capital.<ref name=HistDic/> In 2001 the employment rate for the labor force (46% of those 15+) was 71% employed and 29% unemployed. For those 15+ years old and not in the labor force (50%), 55% were students, 25% homemakers, and 20% retired, too old, etc.<ref name=census/> According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Khomas Region stood at 26.5%. 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, 98.7% had [[safe water]], 17.0% no toilet facility, 64.1% electricity for lighting, and 9.8% had wood or charcoal for cooking. In terms of households' main sources of income, 0.5% derived it from farming, 64.4% from wages and salaries, 11.7% from business or non-farming, and 4.8% from old-age pension.<ref name=census/>

For every 1000 live births in 2001 there were 53 female infant deaths and 54 male. The life expectancy at birth was 56 years for females and 54 for males. Among children younger than 15, 5% had lost a mother, 10% a father, and 1% were orphaned by both parents. 4% of the entire population had a disability, of which 22% were deaf, 44% blind, 11% had a speech disability, 9% hand disability, 15% leg disability, and 4% mental disability.<ref name=census/>

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Khomas}}

==References==
{{Commons|Khomas}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Regions of Namibia}}
{{Constituencies of the Khomas Region}}
{{Authority control}}

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