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Katima Mulilo

Katima Mulilo, or simply Katima is the capital of the Zambezi Region in Namibia. It had 46,401 inhabitants in 2023, and comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban. It is located on the B8 national road on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Caprivi Strip in lush riverine vegetation with tropical birds and monkeys. The town receives annual average rainfall of 654 millimetres (25.7 in).

Economy and infrastructure
Established and run as a garrison for a long time, Katima Mulilo still shows signs of its military past. In the city centre was the South African Defence Force military base and almost every house had a bomb shelter. The town benefited from the military presence in terms of infrastructure and employment, and there are still a number of military bases surrounding the town. The town features an Export Processing Zone and the largest open market in Namibia. There is an important international electricity inter–link facility, the Caprivi Link Inter–Connector; its inauguration has improved the power supply to the town. The Zambezi Waterfront Tourism project is under construction. Since being proclaimed a town on 2 October 1999, development has been steady, but Katima Mulilo does not yet compare to more established towns and cities in Namibia. Few streets are tarred, and there is a lack of street lights and sewerage. Many residents use the bushes for a lack of toilet facilities, and there have been many outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhea. The town has been affected by corruption, financial mismanagement, and infighting between councillors. The water supply has been unstable because of debt to the national water supplier, NamWater. Katima Mulilo is not yet connected to the Namibian railway network. In October 2007, a proposal was announced for a railway connection between Namibia and Zambia, which would pass through the town. The line would join Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo, then run for 130 km to Mulobezi with an 80 km upgrade of the line to Livingstone. The town is served by Katima Mulilo Airport, situated about 18 km to the southwest, which is serviced by regular flights from the capital , Windhoek. ==History==
History
The name Katima Mulilo comes from the SiLozi for quench the fire, referring to nearby rapids in the Zambezi. In the early hours of 2 August 1999, CLA launched an attack occupying the state-run radio station and attacking a police station, the Wenela border post, and an army base. A state of emergency was declared in the province, and the government arrested alleged CLA supporters. ==Geography==
Geography
Suburbs The oldest suburbs are Nghweeze, the former Blacks' township, and Katima Mulilo Proper, the area restricted to Whites during the apartheid era. Butterfly, Cowboy, Choto and Mahohoma are registered informal settlements of Katima, further parts of town are named Nambweza, Soweto (South–Western Townships, a reminiscence of the famous suburb of Johannesburg), New Look, Mabuluma, Lyambai, Bebi, Greenwell Matongo, Macaravan East and West, and NHE (from National Housing Enterprises, a governmental low-cost housing company that drew development here). People The Lozi people are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to southern Africa. They consist of several tribes, including the Bafwe, Bambukushu, Basubia, Batotela, and Bayeyi, each with its own dialect and traditional authority. These tribes share the same Lozi culture and traditions. Silozi serves as the standard language that unifies them and is widely used in educational materials, media such as television and radio, and government communications. Additionally, Silozi plays a crucial role in preserving and promoting cultural heritage, serving as a common medium for cultural practices and ceremonies. Additionally, there is a population of San, specifically the Khwe people, residing in Bwabwata in the western part of the region. The town's coat of arms, still very similar to that used by the Caprivi government, depicts these tribes as two elephants facing each other, symbolising unity and peaceful coexistence of the tribal chiefs. Climate Katima Mulilo has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), bordering on a dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Cwa). Almost all rainfall occurs from November to March, when the weather is hot and humid although substantially moderated by altitude. In the long dry season between April and October the weather remains hot although less humid at the beginning and finish, but very warm weather with chilly mornings occurs at the middle of this dry season during the Southern Hemisphere winter. {{Weather box {{cite web ==Politics==
Politics
Katima Mulilo is governed by a town council that has seven seats. Zambezi Region, whose administrative capital Katima Mulilo is, is a stronghold of Namibia's ruling SWAPO party. It won the 2010 local authority election with 2,197 votes, followed by the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) with 473 votes. SWAPO also won the 2015 local authority election by a landslide, gaining six seats and 1,875 votes. The remaining seat went to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) which gained 163 votes. SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election. It obtained 1,530 votes and gained four seats and the majority in the town council. One seat each went to the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM, the new name of the DTA), the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC, an opposition party formed in August 2020) and to the National Democratic Party (NDP), which came in at 448, 252, and 147 votes, respectively. ==Culture and education==
Culture and education
Before Katima Mulilo was officially founded, missionaries already ran schools in the area. The Seventh–day Adventists operated one, as did the Capuchin Order. Katima Mulilo has two institutes of tertiary education, the Zambezi Vocational Center and a campus of the University of Namibia (UNAM) for teacher training, formerly the Caprivi College of Education (CCE). At the time of the merger with UNAM, CCE had 400 enrolled students and 70 staff.{{cite web The town houses the community-based Caprivi Art Centre and holds an annual Caprivi Cultural Festival. == Notable people ==
Notable people
Ryan Nyambe (born 1997), professional footballer. • Kenneth Matengu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia. • Beatrice Masilingi, athlete, 2020 Olympics 200m finalistLorna Mabuku, professional model. ==References==
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