Elizabeth Bay (Namibian ghost town)
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Bay is a mining town in southern Namibia
. It was formerly considered a ghost town
.
Elizabeth Bay in on the coast of Namibia, 25 km south of Lüderitz
.
Diamonds were first discovered in the region around 1908; however, it wasn't until 1989 that the government of Namibia spent $53 million on the exploration and creation of a new diamond mine on the site. The mine had a projected life-span of ten years and was expected to produce 2.5 million cts of diamonds. The mine was officially opened by Dr. Sam Nujoma
on the 2nd of August, 1991.
The mine stopped being operational sometime around 1998. By 2000, the town was considered a ghost town and tours were run through it by Kolmanskop
.
In 2005 it was announced that the mine would be expanded, thus furthering its lifespan by eight years. The mine is currently operated by Namdeb Diamond Corp. It is owned jointly by De Beers
and the Namibia Government.
As of 2009 the Elizabeth Bay mine was operating at a $76 million loss.
Elizabeth Bay is home to forty percent of the world's Cape Fur Seal
s.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. It was formerly considered a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
Elizabeth Bay in on the coast of Namibia, 25 km south of Lüderitz
Lüderitz
Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...
.
Diamonds were first discovered in the region around 1908; however, it wasn't until 1989 that the government of Namibia spent $53 million on the exploration and creation of a new diamond mine on the site. The mine had a projected life-span of ten years and was expected to produce 2.5 million cts of diamonds. The mine was officially opened by Dr. Sam Nujoma
Sam Nujoma
Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma is a Namibian politician who was the first President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005. He led the South-West Africa People's Organisation in its long struggle against South African rule and took office as President when Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990...
on the 2nd of August, 1991.
The mine stopped being operational sometime around 1998. By 2000, the town was considered a ghost town and tours were run through it by Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop
Kolmanskop is a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia, a few kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during a sand storm, abandoned his ox wagon on a small incline opposite the settlement...
.
In 2005 it was announced that the mine would be expanded, thus furthering its lifespan by eight years. The mine is currently operated by Namdeb Diamond Corp. It is owned jointly by De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
and the Namibia Government.
As of 2009 the Elizabeth Bay mine was operating at a $76 million loss.
Elizabeth Bay is home to forty percent of the world's Cape Fur Seal
Cape Fur Seal
The brown fur seal , also known as the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and the Australian fur seal is a species of fur seal.-Description:...
s.
Media
- The derelict theater building in Elizabeth Bay was filmed in a 2010 episode of Life After People: The Series which was mainly featuring KolmanskopKolmanskopKolmanskop is a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia, a few kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was named after a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who, during a sand storm, abandoned his ox wagon on a small incline opposite the settlement...
, another ghost town approximately 30 km north of Elizabeth Bay. The episode focused on the effects of wind and sand upon the various run-down buildings and displayed rooms that were filled with sand.