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Walvis Bay (Afrikaans ''Walvisbaai'', German ''Walfischbucht'' or ''Walfischbai'', all meaning "Whale Bay") is a city〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Local Authorities )〕 in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. The town has 85,000 inhabitants and has a total area of of land. The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit, being the only natural harbour of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of Southern right whales,〔http://www.namibiandolphinproject.com/animals/species-profiles/southern-right-whale/〕 attracting whalers and fishing vessels. The Dutch referred to it as Walvisch Baye and the English as Whale Bay. In its eventual formal incorporation, it was named Walfish Bay, which was changed to Walvish Bay, and ultimately to Walvis Bay. It has also been referred to as Walwich Bay〔Charles Medyett Goodridge. (1832). "Narrative of a voyage to the South Seas" p. 16 ()〕 or Walwisch Bay.〔Mrs. David Osborne. (1852). ''The World of Waters OR A Peaceful Progress o'er the Unpathed Sea'' ()〕 A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbour settlement. The harbour's value in relation to the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in 1485. This explains the complicated political status of Walvis Bay down the years. The town is situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Kuiseb River delta and lies at the end of the TransNamib Railway to Windhoek, and on the B2 road. Walvis Bay, with its large bay and sand dunes, is an important centre of tourism activity in Namibia. Attractions include the artificial Bird Island, centre of a guano collection industry, the Dune 7 sand dune, the salt works, the abundant birdlife, and a museum. Kuisebmund Stadium, home to two clubs in the Namibia Premier League, is also located in the city. The beach resort of Langstrand lies just a few kilometres north. The Walvis Bay Export Processing Zone is an important facet of the local economy. ==History== The Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reached Cape Cross, north of the bay, in 1485. There followed Bartolomeu Dias, who anchored his flagship ''São Cristóvão'' in what is now Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to discover a sea route to the East via the Cape of Good Hope. He named the bay "O Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceição." However, the Portuguese did not formally stake a claim to Walvis Bay. The Herero called the place ''Ezorongondo''.〔 〕 Little commercial development occurred on the site until the late 19th century. During the scramble for Africa, the United Kingdom occupied Walvis Bay and a small area surrounding the territory, and permitted the Cape Colony to annex it in 1878, both to forestall German ambitions in the region, and to ensure safe passage of British ships around the Cape. Walvis Bay was the only known natural harbour on the Namibian coast. The Cape government, correctly predicting a German invasion of the region and desiring protection for its Griqualand diamond fields, originally requested permission to incorporate the whole of South West Africa, but this was blocked by Britain. Consequently when the Germans later colonised the region, only Walvis Bay remained as an enclave of the Cape Colony, and out of German control. In 1910, Walvis Bay, as well as the Cape Colony, became part of the newly-formed Union of South Africa. Subsequently, a dispute arose with Germany over the enclave's boundaries. This was eventually settled in 1911 and Walvis Bay was allocated an area of . The enclave was overrun by the Germans during the South-West Africa Campaign early in World War I. But South African Forces eventually ousted the Germans in 1915 and Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime established in South-West Africa. South Africa was later awarded control (a "C" class mandate) over South-West Africa by the League of Nations to administer South-West Africa as an integral part of South Africa. Civilian rule was restored in South-West Africa in 1921 and administration of Walvis Bay was transferred to South-West Africa by an act of the South African parliament in 1922.〔http://www.klausdierks.com/Walvis%20Bay/index.html〕 In 1971, anticipating an imminent cession of its control over South-West Africa, South Africa transferred control of Walvis Bay back to its Cape Province, thus making it an exclave. In 1977, in an attempt to avoid losing control of Walvis Bay to a possibly hostile South-West Africa People's Organisation-led government, the South African government reimposed direct rule and reasserted its claim of sovereignty based on the original annexation. In 1978, the United Nations Security Council provided for bilateral negotiations between South Africa and a future Namibia to resolve the political status of Walvis Bay. In 1990 South-West Africa gained independence as Namibia. Walvis Bay remained under South African sovereignty until 1 March 1994 when South Africa formally transferred sovereignty over Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands to Namibia.〔http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/ZAF-NAM1994OI.PDF〕〔http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/commonrepository/Processed/20140414/87758_1.pdf〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Walvis Bay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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