"According to the 1991 population census, Kaokoland is a district with an area of 58.190 km2 inhabited by a population of 26.313 people that is 1,88% of the total population of Namibia. Kaokoland is a multilingual district, where Otjiherero, Oshiwambo, Oluzimba, Olunkambwe, Otjingumbi, Otjitwa, Otjihakaona and Otjikuvare are spoken. Otjiherero is spoken by approximately 24.500 people that is 93,1% of the total population in Kaokoland."

"The 1991 census counted some 113 000 speakers of Otjiherero, which constitutes approximately eight percent of the total population of Namibia... The entire Ovaherero population can be subdivided into four main groups, namely, the central Ovaherero in central Namibia, the Kaokolanders (or western Ovaherero) in Kaokoland, the Ovambanderu (or eastern Ovaherero) in eastern Namibia and the Botswana Ovaherero. The dialect spoken by the central Ovaherero is called Central Otjiherero, or just Otjiherero as it is the basis for standardisation (that is, the norm variety). The dialect spoken by the Ovambanderu, Otjimbanderu, is assumed to have been more divergent from Central Otjiherero in the past. Partly owing to the influence of the standardisation of Central Otjiherero, the two dialects have largely converged, or rather, the distinctiveness of Otjimbanderu has suffered under the influence of the standardised Central Otjiherero... In Kaokoland there are also several Angolan immigrant groups, many of which are either Ovaherero or at least closely related to the Ovaherero, andJ they speak mutually intelligible languages or even Otjiherero dialects, including Otjitwa, Otjihakaona, Otjikuvare, Oluthimba, Olungambwe, and Otjingumbi."

"The ethnic composition of the Kaokoland natives is comprised of closely related Herero-speaking groups resulting, in fact, from relatively recent divisions of the same Herero stock... Out of a total population of 13 000, there are about 5 000 Himba while the Herero, Tjimba-Herero and Ndamuranda, who may be classified with the Herero, number approximately 6 500. The remaining 1 500 are made up of several smaller groups...

According to tradition the Tjimba were in South-west Angola long before the Herero, but because of extended cohabitation, they have now adopted the Herero language as well as various other elements of Herero culture. They have, for example, corresponding matri- and patrilineal clans, the associated stateless political system, patrilineally organised local groups with their sacred fires, etc. The Tjimba are therefore regarded as a related Herero-speaking group which is being progressively assimilated into Himba society...

The Zemba are recognised as a closely related Herero-speaking group, which has its own tribal area in Angola and is there known as the Zimba... Some families have completely adopted the Herero pastoralist culture, and no longer practice the profession of their forebears.

The Kaokoland Thwa reside among the Himba and have adopted the Herero language and culture...

The Zemba and Hakaona are closely related Herero-speaking peoples of South-western Angola...

Their [Thwa's] subsequent extensive dealings with the Himba and Herero eventually resulted in the loss of their original language and culture... Those [Thwa] that reside among the Himba have adopted the Herero language as well as various elements of Herero culture...

[There are] the following eight Herero-speaking groups of Kaokoland: Herero, Tjimba-Herero, Ndamuranda, Himba, Hakaona, Zemba, Tjimba and Thwa."

The ethnic composition of the population is at present approximately as follows: Himba 5 000; Tjimba-Herero 3 500; Herero 3 000; Zemba and Hakaona 500; Thwa 250; Tjimba 150; Others (including 500 Ovambo) 600.

"The inhabitants here from a subgroup of the Herero, a pastoral people with a membership of about 100,000... The population of Otjiherero speaking people in Kaokoland is given as 19-20 000 people (Els 1984:47), where half of these... as designated as Ovahimba. Kaokoland is inhabited by people who speak Otjiherero - some 95% of the population use this language."

"Herero has come to be used as a cover term for a number of language varieties. It is not known if adequate linguistic demarcation between Wambo languages (R20) and Herero languages (R30) is possible at all points of their border. ... The number of speakers of Herero is probably approaching a fifth of a million (extrapolating from Grimes 2000)."