Noordoewer is a town in southern Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

. Its name means 'North Bank' in Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

, in reference to the north bank of the Orange River

Orange River

The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...

, on which it is located. The village lies opposite the South African town of Vioolsdrif

Vioolsdrif

Vioolsdrif is a village on the Orange River in the north-western part of South Africa, known as Namaqualand.- Origin of name :The name in Afrikaans means 'the ford of the violin'. It is reportedly named after Jan Viool , who is said to have played the fiddle in these parts in the nineteenth century...

, to which it is connected by the road bridge which forms the northern end of the South African N7

N7 (South Africa)

The N7 is a National Route in South Africa, connecting Cape Town, South Africa to Vioolsdrif, a border post to Namibia. After crossing the border, it changes designation to B1 and runs north through Windhoek and the north of Namibia....

 and the southern end of the Namibian B1

B1 road (Namibia)

The B1 is one of the most important roads in Namibia, passing through the centre of the country in a north-south direction. It connects Noordoewer on the South African border with Oshikango in the north on the Angolan border...

.

Noordoewer is known for grape production and canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

 and is an important border post on a crucial transport route between the two countries. It is planned to upgrade its status to that of a town.