| Elizabeth Bay | |
| Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
| Pushpin Map: | Namibia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Namibia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Namibia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | ǁKaras Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | Constituency |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lüderitz Constituency |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population Total: | 0 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Timezone: | South African Standard Time |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Coordinates: | -26.9161°N 15.1839°W |
Elizabeth Bay is a mining town on the southern coast of Namibia, south of Lüderitz.[1] It was formerly considered a ghost town. Diamonds were first discovered in the region around 1908.[2] However, it wasn't until 1989 that the government of Namibia spent $53 million on the exploration and creation of a new diamond mine on the site.[3] The mine had a projected life-span of ten years and was expected to produce 2.5 million carats of diamonds. The mine was officially opened by Sam Nujoma on 2 August 1991 and stopped being operational around 1998. By 2000, the town was considered a ghost town. Because of being located in a restricted area, a permit is required for a visit.
In 2005 it was announced that the mine would be expanded, thus furthering its lifespan by eight years.[4] The mine is currently operated by Namdeb. It is owned jointly by De Beers and the Namibia Government.[5] As of 2009 the Elizabeth Bay mine was operating at a $76 million loss.[6]
Elizabeth Bay is home to forty percent of the world's Cape fur seals.