Aranos

{{Infobox settlement  | name = Aranos | native_name = Arahoab (historical) | native_name_lang = naq | settlement_type = [[List of cities and towns in Namibia|Town]] | image_skyline = Aranos bird eye view.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = Aranos from bird's eye view (2017) | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Namibia | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|24|08|S|19|07|E|display=inline,title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Namibia}} | subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Namibia|Region]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Hardap Region]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Constituencies of Namibia|Constituency]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Aranos Constituency]] | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = Proclaimed a village | established_date = 1958 | founder = | seat_type = | seat = | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = | leader_name = | unit_pref = Metric   | area_footnotes = | area_urban_footnotes =  | area_rural_footnotes =  | area_metro_footnotes =  | area_magnitude =  | area_note = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank2_title =  | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_urban_km2 = | area_rural_km2 = | area_metro_km2 = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank2_km2 =  | area_total_ha = | area_land_ha = | area_water_ha = | area_urban_ha = | area_rural_ha = | area_metro_ha = | area_blank1_ha = | area_blank2_ha = | length_km = | width_km = | dimensions_footnotes = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = <ref name=nsa2023/> | population_total = 5,493 | population_as_of = 2023 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = [[South African Standard Time]] | utc_offset1 = +2 | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | iso_code = | blank_name = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]] | blank_info = [[Desert climate#Hot desert climates|BWh]] | website = {{URL|https://www.aranostc.org/home.html}} | footnotes = }} '''Aranos''' is a town in the [[Hardap Region]] of central [[Namibia]], situated in the [[Nossob River]] basin in the [[Kalahari Desert]]. The town had 5,493 inhabitants in 2023.

The main economic activity is farming.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Our mission and vision | publisher=Aranos Town Council | url=https://www.aranostc.org/home.html | accessdate=24 December 2023}}</ref> The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of {{convert|188|mm}}, although in the 2010/2011 rainy season {{convert|505|mm}} were measured.<ref name="Nam2011">{{cite news|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/may/article/rainy-season-was-one-for-the-record-books/ |title=Rainy season was one for the record books |last=Menges |first=Werner |date=26 May 2011 |newspaper=[[The Namibian]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215044804/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/may/article/rainy-season-was-one-for-the-record-books/ |archivedate=15 December 2011 }}</ref>

==History== The original name of the settlement was '''Arahoab''', [[Khoekhoe language|Khoekhoe]] for ''red area''. During the [[Herero Wars]], ''[[Schutztruppe]]'' units of [[German Empire|Imperial Germany]]{{'s}} colonial forces were stationed here since March 1908. The volume of postal services to the military led to the opening of a post office in that year. After the war, in 1911, the military office was closed again.<ref>{{Cite book | title=Kaiserliche Poststationen in Deutsch-Südwestafrika | trans-title=Imperial Post Stations in German South West Africa | language=de | last1=Albert | first1=Uwe | last2=Beck | first2=Friedhelm | year=2022 | publisher=Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Sammler deutscher Kolonialpostwertzeichen e.V. | place=Berlin | url=https://www.namibiana.de/namibia-information/literaturauszuege/titel/kaiserliche-poststationen-deutsch-suedwestafrika-uwe-albert-friedhelm-beck.html | page=online excerpt}}</ref> Postal services, however, continued until the Germans lost control of the colony in 1915.<ref>{{cite book | year=2018 | title= Deutsche Kolonien und Auslandspostämpter Stempelkatalog | trans-title=Cancellation Catalogue of the German Colonies and Offices Abroad | language= German | location=Berlin | publisher= Arbeitsgemeinschaft de Sammler Deutscher Kolonialpostwertzeichen | page=120 | isbn=3-920731-13-1}}</ref>

To avoid confusion with the village of [[Aroab]] further south, Arahoab was renamed Aranos in the 1960s. Aranos is a [[portmanteau]] of '''Ara'''hoab and '''Nos'''sob River.<ref>{{Cite book | title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names | last=Raper | first=P.E. | year=1989 | publisher=[[Jonathan Ball Publishers]] | url=https://www.namibiana.de/namibia-information/literaturauszuege/titel/kaiserliche-poststationen-deutsch-suedwestafrika-uwe-albert-friedhelm-beck.html | page=A | isbn=0947464042}}</ref>

==Politics== Aranos is the administrative centre of [[Aranos Constituency]] since 2013. Before that it belonged to the [[Mariental Rural]] constituency.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Creation of new regions and division and re-division of certain regions into constituencies: Regional Councils Act, 1992 | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=5261 | pages=33f | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=9 August 2013 | url=https://www.parliament.na/index.php/archive/category/39-2013?download=1979:5261&start=140 | format=pdf | access-date=21 March 2021 | archive-date=27 April 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427123633/https://www.parliament.na/index.php/archive/category/39-2013?download=1979:5261&start=140 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Aranos was proclaimed a village in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Information | publisher=Aranos Town Council | url=https://www.aranostc.org/information.html | accessdate=24 December 2023}}</ref> It was governed by a 5-seat village council until it was upgraded to "town" status in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hartman |first=Adam |title=Town regrading a ‘sad move’ |newspaper=[[The Namibian]] |date=27 Aug 2010 |url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news-articles/national/full-story/archive/2010/august/article/town-regrading-a-sad-move/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317023725/http://www.namibian.com.na/news-articles/national/full-story/archive/2010/august/article/town-regrading-a-sad-move/ |archivedate=2012-03-17 }}</ref> There is now a town council that has seven seats.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Know Your Local Authority | publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research | newspaper=Election Watch | year = 2015 | issue=3 | page=4}}</ref>

In the [[Namibian local and regional elections, 2004|2004 local authority elections]] [[SWAPO]] won the town council election with 733 votes and gained three seats. One seat each were obtained by the [[Democratic Turnhalle Alliance]] (DTA, 234 votes) and the [[Republican Party (Namibia)|Republican Party]] (RP, 182 votes).<ref>{{Cite web | title=14 May 2004 Local Authority Elections in Namibia | publisher=African Elections Database | date=31 December 2005 | accessdate=24 December 2023 | url=https://africanelections.tripod.com/na_2004local.html}}</ref> SWAPO also won most votes (546) in the [[Namibian local and regional elections, 2010|2010 local authority election]]. The [[Democratic Turnhalle Alliance]] (DTA) finished in 2nd place with 205 votes, followed by the [[Rally for Democracy and Progress (Namibia)|Rally for Democracy and Progress]] (RDP, 186), [[SWANU]] (17) and the [[Congress of Democrats]] (15).<ref>[http://www.ecn.na/results/2010/Press_Release_Local_Authority_-_Hardap-Aranos.pdf Local Authority results] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717180451/http://www.ecn.na/results/2010/Press_Release_Local_Authority_-_Hardap-Aranos.pdf |date=July 17, 2011 }} Electoral Commission of Namibia</ref> SWAPO also won the [[Namibian local and regional elections, 2015|2015 election]], gaining four seats in the town council (598 votes). The RDP gained two seats (246 votes), and the DTA one (194).<ref>{{cite web | title=Local elections results | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | page=2 | url=http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | date=28 November 2015 | access-date=2 September 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210194328/http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | archive-date=10 December 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[2020 Namibian local and regional elections|2020 local authority election]] was won by the newly formed [[Landless People's Movement (Namibia)|Landless People's Movement]] (LPM) which scored well all over Hardap. LPM gained 745 votes and three seats in the town council, followed by SWAPO with two seats (465 votes), the likewise new [[Independent Patriots for Change]] (IPC) with one seat (283 votes) and the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM, the successor of the DTA), also with one seat and 90 votes.<ref>{{Cite web | title=2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats | page=2 | date=29 November 2020 | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | url=https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | accessdate=3 December 2020 | archive-date=24 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124162938/https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> The current mayor is Marline Claasen.{{cn|date=December 2020}}

==People== Aranos is the birthplace of former [[National Assembly of Namibia|National Assembly]] member [[Jurie Viljoen]]<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120316095359/http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=7285 ELECTIONS 2009: MAG leading senior members]}} [[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]], 5 October 2009</ref> and human rights activist [[Pauline Dempers]].<ref>[http://www.nid.org.na/view_book_entry.php?book_id=29 Pauline Dempers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611171611/http://www.nid.org.na/view_book_entry.php?book_id=29 |date=2011-06-11 }} Namibia Institute for Democracy</ref>

{{Historical populations|2011|3,683|2023|5,493|percentages=pagr|align=none|footnote=Sources:<ref name=nsa2011>{{cite web | title=4.2.2 Urban population by Census years (2001 and 2011) | url=http://cms.my.na/assets/documents/p19dmn58guram30ttun89rdrp1.pdf | work=Namibia 2011 - Population and Housing Census Main Report | publisher=[[Namibia Statistics Agency]] | access-date=2 November 2024 | page=39}}</ref><ref name=nsa2023>{{cite web | title=4.5 Population by town and census years (2011 and 2023) | url=https://nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf | work=Namibia 2023 - Population and Housing Census. Main Report | publisher=[[Namibia Statistics Agency]] | access-date=2 November 2024 | pages=33–34}}</ref>}}

==Gallery== <gallery> Aranos High School.jpg|Aranos High School (2017) </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Towns in Namibia]] [[Category:Populated places in the Hardap Region]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1958]] [[Category:1958 establishments in South West Africa]]