It is situated on the Khan River, halfway between Windhoek and Swakopmund on the B2 (Trans-Kalahari Highway), the main road between Walvis Bay and Johannesburg.

[3] The Navachab Gold Mine owned by QKR Namibia is located 10 km from Karibib town.

The next station to the west is Kranzberg, the junction for the branch railways to Tsumeb and Grootfontein from the line to the capital Windhoek.

[9] Expecting business opportunities arising from the railway construction between Swakopmund and Windhoek, Eduard Hälbich, merchant at Otjimbingwe, bought the waterhole and 20,000 hectares of land surrounding it from Herero headman Zacharias Zeraua.

The deal was finalised on 7 January 1895, the purchase price was 22,500 marks (ℳ), two ox wagons, and 742 pounds 5 shillings that Zeraua had incurred in debts in Hälbich's shop in Otjimbingwe.

1 June 1900 marks the day of the official foundation of Karibib at the occasion of the first train arriving from Swakopmund.

[11] The railway station was built, a medical practice, storage facilities, a prison, and living quarters were erected, and the population rose to 274.

[10] One of Karibib's oldest buildings is the Roesemannhaus / Roesemann's house, erected in 1900 shortly after the town was founded.

Other historic structures are the Wollhaus / Wool house (1900) erected from local marble, the Railway station building (1901), the Kaiserbrunnen / Emperor fountain (1906-1908) and the Christ Church (1910).

[16] In the 2020 local authority election SWAPO won again by a large margin but lost the majority of seats in the town council.