The Orange-Fish River Basin (OFRB) is located in the south of Namibia covering parts of Hardap and Karas regions and a small portion of Khomas Region. It covers a total area of 119,692 km2 which represents 15% of Namibia's surface area. A major part of communally owned land in Hardap and Karas regions lies within the OFRB while poor informal settlements on townlands surround each of the 'urban' centres. In general, however, 72.4% of the basin is privately-owned freehold land while only 14.8% falls under traditional authority (communal lands). Further, 11.2% of the basin is state-owned land while a mere 1.6% is represented by the local authorities. Approximately 77,000 people live in the Orange-Fish River basin representing 56% of the population of Hardap and Karas regions. In the Hardap and Karas regions as a whole (7.5% of the Namibian population), male-headed households are relatively more common than female-headed ones. In the rural areas most households are headed by men (Karas 70%, Hardap 71.6%), which is far above the Namibian average of 53%. Maleheaded households represent 68% of all households in the OFRB.