No really the diamonds in the area are there forever!

I have recently travelled to Namibia, to a farm next to the Sperrgebiet - the forbidden diamond area of Namibia. I have written 3 posts, which was featured by @gavvet last week, and this area is so interesting that I decided to dedicate a post! The links to these posts are at the bottom of this post. Amazing trip!!!

Sperrgebiet - The 'Forbidden Diamond area'

The Sperrgebiet, which means "Prohibited area" in the German language, can be found in South West, Namibia and I believe it should be added to many peoples "Bucket lists" due to its uniqueness. It is a large piece of land, covering more than 3% of Namibia. The public can only enter a very small portion of the now National Park, which were created in 2003/4. The area is around 26 100 Square Kilometres which is quite large if you think that the whole of England is around 130 000 Square Kilometre.

**Hefty fines or imprisonment are enforced !

The history of the Sperrgebiet

The area was created in 1908, as part of German South West Africa, giving sole rights for mining in the area to the German Mining Company, then known as "Diamantengesellschaft". The area was taken over by South Africa in the early 1910's, during World War 1, from where the de Beer's Mining group took over the rights for mining diamonds in the area. The Namibian government then bought a 50% share in the area, and it is now called the Namdeb Diamond Corporation.

The above picture was taken from the farm. It's a double fence, but it should not be too difficult to get in there if you really want to :)

Wildlife

The area is well-known for its Fauna and Flora, Gemsbok (Oryx), Springbok, and Brown Hyenas. There are more than 770 types of plants. The orange river is the feed of water in the area, but due to the current drought in the area, it is not able to maintain the current wildlife.

This is a really an amazing part of the world, and I recommend the trip to anybody who enjoys travelling. Quite a drive though.

Namibia in 5 days Part 1
Namibia in 5 days Part 2
Travelling to Namibia and Back to South Africa in 5 Days – An amazing experience (FINALE)(featuring @jacor as author)

Today is local elections day in South Africa, so I am off to vote. If you enjoy the subjects I am writing about, please follow me by visiting my blog @jacor.

Image Credit

Happy Steeming!