Tsumeb (Otjiherero: Okavisume;[3] Khoekhoe: ǂAixorobes) is a city[4] of around 35,000 inhabitants and the largest town in the Oshikoto region in northern Namibia.

The town is the site of a deep mine (the lower workings now closed) whose ore deposits with respect to variety, rarity and aesthetics of minerals have been listed among 100 geological heritage sites around the world by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

The concentration of ingredients for Tsumeb's mineral formations originates in a sulfide deposit rich in many metals.

A non-arid environment plentiful in oxygen-rich groundwater contributed to leaching and re-deposition of these elements as new minerals, sometimes in crystalline formations.

There are rare secondary minerals of Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Sb and, reflecting the ore deposit chemistry, Ge, Ga and Cd as well.

In respect of it being 'one of the richest ore deposits with respect to variety, rarity and aesthetics of minerals in the world', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the 'Tsumeb Ore Deposit' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022.

A pioneering documentary movie about scuba diving in these lakes was made by Graham Ferreira in the early 1970s.

Divers who have performed bounce-dives in Guinas to 80 m (strictly speaking, beyond the safe depth for such dives, especially given the altitude of the lake above sea level) have reported that there was nothing but powdery-blue water below them.

Guinas has been in existence for so long that a unique species of fish, Tilapia guinasana, has evolved in its waters.

One of the largest and deepest underground lakes in the world lies a little to the east of Tsumeb, on farm called Harasib.

To reach the water in the cave one has either to abseil or to descend an ancient, hand-forged ladder that hangs free of the vertical dolomite walls of the cave for over 50 m. Here, too, scuba divers have descended as deep as they have dared (80 m) in the crystal-clear waters and have reported nothing but deep blue below them from one ledge of dolomite to the next with nothing discernible in the depths.

The plant has a production capacity of 650000 tonnes per annum, almost double the demand of the Namibian domestic market.

[14] Just a few kilometres North of Tsumeb, the construction of the 40 MW Otjikoto Biomass Power Station began in 2024, with an expected completion in 2027.

More than 200 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and bigger exhibitors showcase their products and services at the annual fair.

The four-day event, which is aimed at boosting the economic competitiveness of the town, draws crowds from all corners of the country and beyond.

The mine was originally owned by the OMEG (Otavi Minen- und Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft) and later by TCL (Tsumeb Corporation Limited) before its closure a few years ago, when the ore at depth ran out.

Previously owned by Namibia Custom Smelters, it was sold by Weatherly International mining company to Dundee Corporation in 2010.

To the north-east a newly constructed Bituminous Road towards Tsintsabis leads to Katwitwi Border Post and Angola.

To the east, through Grootfontein, the road leads towards Rundu and Katima Mulilo and to the south, through Otavi to Otjiwarongo and Windhoek.

Tsumeb was for most of the 20th century the terminus of the line but in recent times the track has been extended a further 260 km to reach Ondangwa.

There have been talks of extending the line to Oshikango and having the Government of Angola build a railroad from the north to connect the two countries together.

The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 1,472 votes and gained two seats.