Rehoboth

Rehoboth, town, central Namibia. The town is located about 52 miles (84 km) south of Windhoek, the national capital, and lies on the banks of the dry, sandy bed of the Rehoboth River at an elevation of 4,544 feet (1,385 metres). Rehoboth is situated in an arid, sparsely populated region within the Central Highland, the physiography of which is characterized by rugged, stony hills and sand-filled valleys. Several areas around Rehoboth are well suited for the grazing of Karakul sheep and dairy cattle; limited amounts of corn (maize), wheat, and other grains are sometimes grown.

Originally a site inhabited by the Nama group of Khoekhoe peoples, it was given the biblical name of Rehoboth in 1844 by a missionary who built a church there as a mission station of the Rhenish (German Lutheran) Missionary Society. The mission was abandoned in 1864 because of drought, famine, and internecine warfare but was resettled in 1870 by people of mixed European and Nama ancestry (called Basters) who emigrated from the Cape Colony. After Germany seized the entire region as a colony in 1884, German troops won the help of the Rehoboth Basters in putting down resistance by native ethnic groups. During World War I Rehoboth was occupied by South African troops who invaded and claimed the entire territory. In 1924–25 the Rehoboth Basters and other native groups declared themselves independent of South African rule, but the revolt was quickly suppressed.

Namibia’s main north-south road passes through Rehoboth. The town is a local market centre for dairy cattle and sheep, and Karakul wool is processed locally. A resort has been built around the local hot springs. Pop. (2001) 21,300; (2011) 28,843.