Ramansdrift is an abandoned town on the banks of the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibi ...

in the

ǁKaras Region The ǁKharas Region (pronounced , with a lateral click, former name Karas Region, without the click) is the southernmost, largest, and least densely populated of the 14 regions of Namibia; its capital is Keetmanshoop. The name assigned to the r ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. The nearest towns are Vredendal (28.8 km), Gaobis (28.8 km), Silwerstroom (32.6 km), and Hakiesdoorn (48.3 km). The first Boers set out north from what is now Little Namaqualand to found settlements such as

Kakamas Kakamas is a town founded in 1898 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. Originated as at a place where the Orange River could be relatively easily crossed. The spot was first known as Bass ...

, Ramansdrift, Schuitdrift, and Sendelindgsdrift. On January 12, 1915,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n forces invaded

German South West Africa German South West Africa () was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...

by attacking the police station in Ramansdrift. The Boers were incensed by this, sparking the Maritz rebellion. The Battle of Sandfontein took place north of the drift on September 26, 1914.

References

{{coord missing, Namibia Ghost towns in Africa Towns in Namibia German South West Africa