 An obvious sign of proximity is the prefix used for language and dialect names, Proto-Bantu "*ki-" (class 7, as in the name of the Swahili language, "Kiswahili"), which in Herero has evolved to "Otji-" and in Ovambo further to "Oshi-".After Namibia's independence in 1990, the area previously known as Ovamboland was divided into the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions.The population, estimated at between 700,000 and 750,000, fluctuates remarkably.