Grootfontein

Grootfontein, town, northeastern Namibia. The town lies 36 miles (60 km) southeast of the copper- and lead-mining centre of Tsumeb and 210 air miles northeast of Windhoek, the national capital, in a semiarid region of varied grasses, shrubs, and large trees.

Grootfontein, at an elevation of 4,793 feet (1,461 metres), is located at the site whence the area received its original Bergdama (Damara) or San name Gei-/ous (the / indicates a click sound). Later, Boer trekkers called the place Grootfontein (“Great Spring”). Various tribal groups (including the Herero and Owambo [Ovambo]) formerly sought control over the area because of its grazing potential and nearby copper-ore deposits. Wandering Boer trekkers from Angola (originally from western Transvaal) settled the Grootfontein area in the mid-1880s before returning to Angola when the German colonial administration refused them protection. A prospecting expedition financed by both British and German interests led to the establishment of copper mines and the sale of ranchlands in the area in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Grootfontein serves as a centre for cattle grazing and is also noted for its jacaranda and other flamboyant trees. As the railway terminus for northeastern Namibia, the town functions today as the shipping point for timber products arriving from Kavango-inhabited areas farther to the northeast. Copper and lead mined west of Grootfontein are smelted at Tsumeb. The former vanadium and lead mine at Berg Aukas north of Grootfontein closed in 1978. Local industries produce meat, dairy products, and leather goods. A 60-ton nickel-and-lead meteorite was discovered in the early 20th century on the Hoba West farm 12 miles (19 km) west of Grootfontein. Pop. (2001) 14,249; (2011) 16,632.