Ruacana
Encyclopedia
Ruacana is a town in Omusati Region, northern Namibia
and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency
. It is located on the border with Angola
on the river Kunene
. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls
nearby.
Ruacana was developed around a major underground hydroelectric plant linked to the nearby dam across the border in Angola
at Calueque
. The dam and pumping station were bombed in a Cuban airstrike in 1988, during the Angolan Civil War
. The facility was partially repaired and today NamPower
operates three turbine
s producing 240 megawatts.
In 1988, the settlement consisted of only 17 households of which 14 belonged to soldiers of the South African Defence Force
while the remaining 3 were for SWAWEK (Suidwes-Afrikaanse Water en Krag) families. Ruacana's settlement status was upgraded to that of a village in 2005, and to town in 2010.
The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of 426 millimetres (16.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 960 millimetres (37.8 in) were measured.
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...
and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency
Ruacana Constituency
Ruacana Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of Namibia on the border to Angola. It has 10,722 inhabitants, its district capital is the settlement of Ruacana....
. It is located on the border with Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
on the river Kunene
Cunene River
The Cunene River or Kunene River is a river in Southern Africa. It flows from the Angola highlands south to the border with Namibia. It then flows west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the few perennial rivers in the region. It is about long, with a drainage...
. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls
Ruacana Falls
Ruacana Falls are waterfalls located at on the Kunene River in Northern Namibia near Ruacana. The waterfall is high and wide in full flood....
nearby.
Ruacana was developed around a major underground hydroelectric plant linked to the nearby dam across the border in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
at Calueque
Calueque
Calueque is a village next to a dam and pumping station on the Cunene River in the Cunene Province of southern Angola. The project is linked to Ruacana, 20 km away inside Namibia, where an underground hydro-electric power station was built. A 300 km pipeline and canal extends across the...
. The dam and pumping station were bombed in a Cuban airstrike in 1988, during the Angolan Civil War
Angolan Civil War
The Angolan Civil War was a major civil conflict in the Southern African state of Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with some interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. Prior to this, a decolonisation conflict had taken...
. The facility was partially repaired and today NamPower
NamPower
NamPower is the national power utility company of Namibia. NamPower was founded in 1964 as the "South West Africa Water and Electricity Corporation" by the government of South Africa. Its offices are located in Windhoek...
operates three turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s producing 240 megawatts.
In 1988, the settlement consisted of only 17 households of which 14 belonged to soldiers of the South African Defence Force
South African Defence Force
The South African Defence Force was the South African armed forces from 1957 until 1994. The former Union Defence Force was renamed to the South African Defence Force in the Defence Act of 1957...
while the remaining 3 were for SWAWEK (Suidwes-Afrikaanse Water en Krag) families. Ruacana's settlement status was upgraded to that of a village in 2005, and to town in 2010.
The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of 426 millimetres (16.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 960 millimetres (37.8 in) were measured.