Location & background

Omuthiya is the capital town for the Oshikoto Region in Namibia. The town has been proclaimed in October 2007 and the Omuthiya Town Council established in September 2008. The estimated current town population is 3 800 of which 2800 are female and about 1000 male, according to the 2011 census.

The council however, predicts the current town population to be about 5 500.00 people. The location of Omuthiya is shown below. It is uniquely situated on the world famous Etosha Pan, between the main towns of Ondangwa in the north and Tsumeb in the south.

The town is servicing a surrounding community of approximately 80 000 people. A sharp increase for the community of the Town is expected with the development that is taking place, the business opportunities that are being created and the regional and municipal government jobs. The surface area of Omuthiya townlands covers 12,497 hectares (incl. part of the Etosha National Park).

The main road and railway line crosses the town, resulting in ribbon type urban settlement along the road. Away from the road, agriculture is the main economic activity with tourism becoming increasingly important with direct access from the Etosha National Park via the King Nehale Gate. Tourism is an important industry and more and more international tourists include nature-based tourism into their trips. Hunting has become a growing industry.