Windhoek

Why it's the capital

Jonker Afrikaner set up a settlement near the hot springs here in 1840. In 1890 the German officer Major Curt von François stationed his garrison at Windhoek, and the town became the capital of German South West Africa. It has stayed the capital since Namibia's independence in 1990.

Fun facts

1. Most people believe the name comes from the Afrikaans words for 'wind' and 'corner', but some say it was named after the Winterhoek Mountains in South Africa.
2. Namibia's Parliament meets in the Tintenpalast, German for 'Ink Palace', built in 1912 and 1913.
3. The Alte Feste, the old fort built in 1890, houses the National Museum.