ORANJEMUND

planned company town in one of the principal gem-diamond producing areas of the world, in extreme southwestern Namibia. It is located near the Atlantic coast about 5 miles (8 km) north of the mouth of the Orange River, in the sand dunes of the extremely arid Namib Desert. Gem-quality diamonds were discovered in the vicinity in the late 1920s, and in 1943 Oranjemund became the headquarters of the monopolistic Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa, Ltd. Access to Oranjemund and adjacent areas is restricted by the diamond-mining company. The town has no ocean port facilities but is connected to Alexander Bay, South Africa (across the Orange River), by a modern highway bridge. Air services from Alexander Bay indirectly connect Oranjemund with Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and with Cape Town in South Africa. A number of planned satellite settlements have been built in the mining area along the coast north of Oranjemund. Pop. (1981) 4,112.