Nokaneng
Encyclopedia
Nokaneng is a village in North-West District
North-West District (Botswana)
North-West District Council is one of the local authorities of Botswana. It was established in 1966, overlapping the administrative districts of Chobe and Ngamiland...

, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

. It is located close to the Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea...

, and is served by Nokaneng Airport. The population of Nokaneng was 1,590 in 2001 census.

The people

The people therein are the Bayei
Bayei
The Yeyi, or Bayei, are Bantu-speaking people of Ngamiland, Botswana. The Yei immigrated to the area in the 18th century from the north, and lived in close cooperation with the San people, or Basarwa, who had lived in the area previously...

, Basarwa and the Baherero though of late there has been a significant increase in the numbers of settlers such as the Bahambukushu. This is a group that predominantly stays along the Okavango Delta. From Nokaneng Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...

, the Namibian capital is not that far but due to the poor starndard of the road leading to the border it is not such a famous route. You can get through from Nokaneng to Tsumkwe at the Dobe Border Post. About 5 hours from Tsodilo
Tsodilo
Tsodilo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northwestern Botswana. It was inscribed in 2001 due to its unique religious and spiritual significance to local peoples, as well as its unique record of human settlement over many millennia. It contains over 4,500 rock paintings in an area of...

 to Dobe
Dobê
Dobe is a village in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies at an altitude of 4234 metres . The village has a population of about 201 people.It lies approximately 16.9 miles south of Sangsang.-See also:...

. Dobe to Tsumkwe
Tsumkwe
Tsumkwe is a settlement in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia and the district capital of the Tsumkwe electoral constituency.-Nature and wildlife:...

 is 1 hour. You can stay at Tsumkwe Lodge. Road conditions from [Nokaneng to Tsumkwe are variable. The border post at Dobe, 53 km east of Tsumkwe, is now open 7 days a week (7h30 to 16h30 Namibian/Botswana time) and provides a thoroughfare to Botswana. The 4x4 track to Nokaneng is about 140 km. The average speed one can maintain on this road will range 50–80 km/h. The nearest fuel would be 37 km north of Nokaneng at Gumare
Gumare
Gumare or Gomare is a rural village located in the North-West District of Botswana, near the Okavango Delta. The population of Gumare was 6,067 in 2001 census.Four separate government institutions manage Ngamiland District:# District Council;...

 or at Maun
Maun
Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. As of 2001, it had a population of 43,776. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district...

. This is the most recommended route to get to this lodge.

At this stage, fuel is not available in Nokaneng but there are two shops with very basic supplies, a local police station, a school, two pubs/bars, a bottle store, three churches, a clinic. There is also the artificial insemination center where people take the cows for breeding and proper naturing. The lodges and camping sites are within the Buffalo fence or the restricted areas and most of them are controlled from Maun.

Nokaneng is also a former capital of Ngamiland. It was where the Batawana moved their capital from Toteng
Toteng
Toteng is a village in the north west of Botswana, Ngamiland located at 20,22'S 22,56'E. The town is reportedly the location of the oldest "directly dated evidence of cattle in southern Africa" . Nearby towns are Sehitwa, Bobideng, in the west, Tsau and Gumare in the north and Maun in the east.The...

. This then makes Nokaneng one of the most villages alongside Toteng and Tsau. It is also were Douglas Wright the Managing Director of Safari South and Ker & Downey, the famous tour operator grew up and still regards as his home village even though he now resides in Maun. They had a shop in Nokaneng. Most of the South African bound mine workers were collected from enroute to Johannesburg. The Basarwa/San living in Nokaneng lead a normal life as compared to those living in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world.The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dog,...

. This is mainly due to the relationship they mostly have had with the Bayei the dominant groupin the village. They have a very understanding relationship and regard each other as cousins. Nokaneng is also a gateway to the world famous Drosky Hills, or as they call it the qhwihaba hills.

From Maun the now capital of Ngamiland Nokaneng is about 200 km by road and about 200 from Shakawe
Shakawe
Shakawe is a village located in the northwest corner of Botswana. It is located at the beginning of the Okavango Delta, close to Namibia and Angola. Shakawe is awakening from its former status as a sleepy little outpost on the Okavango.For travellers, Shakawe means a Botswana entry or exit stamp...

. It has also been realised that the majority of people residing in Maun trace their roots in Nokaneng more especially those residing in Botshabelo, Boseja and Thito wards in Maun.
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