Namibia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Republic of Namibia
Name in national languages
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 Coat of arms
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Motto: "Unity, Liberty, Justice"
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Anthem: "Namibia, Land of the Brave"
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.svg) Show globe Show map of Africa |
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| Capital and largest city
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Windhoek 22°34′S 17°5′E / 22.567°S 17.083°E |
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| Official languages | English | ||||||||||||||||
| Recognised national languages |
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| Recognised regional languages |
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| Ethnic groups
(2023)
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| Religion
(2023)
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| Demonym(s) | Namibian | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | ||||||||||||||||
| Nangolo Mbumba | |||||||||||||||||
| Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah | |||||||||||||||||
| Saara Kuugongelwa | |||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||||||||||||||
| National Council | |||||||||||||||||
| National Assembly | |||||||||||||||||
| Independence from South Africa | |||||||||||||||||
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• Constitution
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9 February 1990 | ||||||||||||||||
| 21 March 1990 | |||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||
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• Total
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825,615 km2 (318,772 sq mi) (34th) | ||||||||||||||||
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• Water (%)
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negligible | ||||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||||
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• 2023 census
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3,022,401 | ||||||||||||||||
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• Density
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3.7/km2 (9.6/sq mi) (235th) | ||||||||||||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate | ||||||||||||||||
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• Total
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 $30.663 billion |
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• Per capita
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$11,603 (114th) |
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| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate | ||||||||||||||||
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• Total
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$12.647 billion |
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• Per capita
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 $4,786 |
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| Gini (2015) | 59.1 high |
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| HDI (2022) | 0.610 medium · 142nd |
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| Currency | Namibian dollar (NAD) South African rand (ZAR) |
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| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) | ||||||||||||||||
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy | ||||||||||||||||
| Driving side | left | ||||||||||||||||
| Calling code | +264 | ||||||||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | NA | ||||||||||||||||
| Internet TLD | .na | ||||||||||||||||
The Republic of Namibia is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Before that it was called South West Africa. Its capital is Windhoek.
Before World War I Namibia was a German colony. German is still widely spoken in the country, although English is the official language.
Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people.
The name of the country is from the Namib Desert. This is said to be the oldest desert in the world.
Contents
History
The dry lands of Namibia were lived in since early times by Bushmen, Damara and Nama. About the 14th century AD, by Bantu came to the area from central Africa. From the late 18th century onwards, Orlam clans from the Cape Colony crossed the Orange River. They moved into the area that today is southern Namibia. The nomadic Nama tribes were largely peaceful. The missionaries with the Orlams were well received by them, the right to use waterholes and grazing was given. On their way further north, the Orlams met clans of the Herero tribe. They were not as friendly. The Nama-Herero War started in 1880. They did not stop until Imperial Germany sent troops.
The first Europeans to explore the region were the Portuguese navigators Diogo Cão in 1485 and Bartolomeu Dias in 1486. Like most of Sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia was not largely explored by Europeans until the 19th century. At this time traders and settlers arrived, mostly from Germany and Sweden.
German rule
Namibia became a German colony in 1884. This was to stop the British. The country was called German South-West Africa. From 1904 to 1907, the Herero and the Namaqua took up arms against the Germans. In the following Herero and Namaqua genocide, 10,000 Nama (half the population) and about 65,000 Hereros (about 80% of the population) were killed.
South African rule
South Africa began to rule the land in 1915. They defeated the German force during World War I. It was a League of Nations mandate territory from 1919. In 1946 the League was replaced by the United Nations. South Africa would not give up their rule of the land. Many people thought the land should be independent from South Africa. In 1971 South Africa was told their hold on the country was illegal. They still did not leave.
The country officially became independent on 21 March 1990. Sam Nujoma became the first President of Namibia.
Geography
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At 825,615 km2 (318,772 sq mi), Namibia is the world's thirty-fourth largest country (after Venezuela).
Being situated between the Namib and the Kalahari deserts, Namibia has the least rainfall of any country in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Namibian landscape consists generally of five geographical areas, each with characteristic abiotic conditions and vegetation, with some variation within and overlap between them: the Central Plateau, the Namib, the Great Escarpment, the Bushveld, and the Kalahari Desert.
The Central Plateau runs from north to south, bordered by the Skeleton Coast to the northwest, the Namib Desert and its coastal plains to the southwest, the Orange River to the south, and the Kalahari Desert to the east. The Central Plateau is home to the highest point in Namibia at Königstein elevation 2,606 metres (8,550 ft).
The Namib is a broad expanse of hyper-arid gravel plains and dunes that stretches along Namibia's entire coastline. It varies between 100 and many hundreds of kilometres in width. Areas within the Namib include the Skeleton Coast and the Kaokoveld in the north and the extensive Namib Sand Sea along the central coast.
The Great Escarpment swiftly rises to over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft). Average temperatures and temperature ranges increase further inland from the cold Atlantic waters, while the lingering coastal fogs slowly diminish. Although the area is rocky with poorly developed soils, it is significantly more productive than the Namib Desert.
The Bushveld is found in north-eastern Namibia along the Angolan border and in the Caprivi Strip. The area receives a significantly greater amount of rain than the rest of the country. The area is generally flat and the soils sandy, limiting their ability to retain water and support agriculture.
The Kalahari Desert, an arid region that extends into South Africa and Botswana, is one of Namibia's well-known geographical features. The Kalahari, while popularly known as a desert, has a variety of localised environments, including some verdant and technically non-desert areas. The Succulent Karoo is home to over 5,000 species of plants, nearly half of them endemic; approximately 10 percent of the world's succulents are found in the Karoo.
Namibia's Coastal Desert is one of the oldest deserts in the world. Its sand dunes, created by the strong onshore winds, are the highest in the world. Because of the location of the shoreline, at the point where the Atlantic's cold water reaches Africa's hot climate, often extremely dense fog forms along the coast. Near the coast there are areas where the dunes are vegetated with hammocks. Namibia has rich coastal and marine resources that remain largely unexplored.
Climate
Namibia extends from 17°S to 25°S latitude: climatically the range of the sub-Tropical High Pressure Belt.
Its overall climate description is arid, descending from the Sub-Humid [mean rain above 500 mm (20 in)] through Semi-Arid [between 300 and 500 mm (12 and 20 in)] (embracing most of the waterless Kalahari) and Arid [from 150 to 300 mm (6 to 12 in)] (these three regions are inland from the western escarpment) to the Hyper-Arid coastal plain [less than 100 mm (4 in)]. Temperature maxima are limited by the overall elevation of the entire region: only in the far south, Warmbad for instance, are mid-40 °C (100 °F) maxima recorded.
Typically the sub-Tropical High Pressure Belt, with frequent clear skies, provides more than 300 days of sunshine per year.
Efundja, the annual seasonal flooding of the northern parts of the country, often causes not only damage to infrastructure but loss of life. The rains that cause these floods originate in Angola, flow into Namibia's Cuvelai basin, and fill the oshanas (Oshiwambo: flood plains) there. The worst floods so far[update] occurred in March 2011 and displaced 21,000 people.
Water sources
Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa and depends largely on groundwater. With an average rainfall of about 350 mm (14 in) per annum, the highest rainfall occurs in the Caprivi in the northeast (about 600 mm (24 in) per annum) and decreases in a westerly and southwesterly direction to as little as 50 mm (2 in) and less per annum at the coast.
The only perennial rivers are found on the national borders with South Africa, Angola, Zambia, and the short border with Botswana in the Caprivi.
In the interior of the country, surface water is available only in the summer months when rivers are in flood after exceptional rainfalls. Otherwise, surface water is restricted to a few large storage dams retaining and damming up these seasonal floods and their runoff.
Where people do not live near perennial rivers or make use of the storage dams, they are dependent on groundwater. Even isolated communities and those economic activities located far from good surface water sources, such as mining, agriculture, and tourism, can be supplied from groundwater over nearly 80% of the country.
More than 100,000 boreholes have been drilled in Namibia over the past century. One third of these boreholes have been drilled dry.
Communal Wildlife Conservancies
Namibia is one of few countries in the world to specifically address conservation and protection of natural resources in its constitution.
Government and politics
Namibia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Namibia is elected to a five-year term and is both the head of state and the head of government. All members of the government are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature.
The Constitution of Namibia outlines the following as the organs of the country's government:
- Executive: executive power is exercised by the President and the Government.
- Legislature: Namibia has a bicameral Parliament with the National Assembly as lower house, and the National Council as the upper house.
- Judiciary: Namibia has a system of courts that interpret and apply the law in the name of the state.
Administrative divisions
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Namibia is divided into 14 regions which are subdivided into 121 constituencies. The administrative division of Namibia is tabled by Delimitation Commissions and accepted or declined by the National Assembly. Since state foundation four Delimitation Commissions have delivered their work, the last one in 2013 under the chairmanship of Judge Alfred Siboleka. The most urbanised and economically active regions are the Khomas and Erongo regions, with Khomas home to the capital, Windhoek, and Erongo home to Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.
Regional councillors are directly elected through secret ballots (regional elections) by the inhabitants of their constituencies.
Local authorities in Namibia can be in the form of municipalities (either Part 1 or Part 2 municipalities), town councils or villages.
Cities
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- Gobabis
- Grootfontein
- Henties Bay
- Karasburg
- Karibib
- Keetmanshoop
- Mariental
- Okahandja
- Omaruru
- Otjiwarongo
- Outjo
- Swakopmund
- Tsumeb
- Usakos
- Walvis Bay
- Windhoek (capital)
Economy
Namibia's economy is tied closely to South Africa's due to their shared history. In Q3 2023, the largest economic sectors were mining (18.0% of GDP), public administration (12.9%), manufacturing (10.1%), and education (9.2%).
Namibia has a highly developed banking and financial services sector with modern infrastructures, such as online banking and cellphone banking.
The country's unemployment rate was 33.4% in 2018, with a labour force of 1,090,153. As of 2023, the country has a youth unemployment rate of 38.4%, one of the highest in the world.
Poverty and inequality remain significant in the country.
The cost of living in Namibia is slightly above average because most goods, including cereals, need to be imported. Its capital city, Windhoek, is the 150th most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live.
Despite the remote nature of much of the country, Namibia has seaports, airports, highways, well-maintained roads, infrastructure and railways (narrow-gauge). It is an important regional transportation hub for its seaports and trade with landlocked neighbouring countries. The Central Plateau already serves as a transportation corridor from the more densely populated north to South Africa, the source of four-fifths of Namibia's imports.
Agriculture
About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood, but Namibia must still import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in rural areas and have a subsistence way of life. Namibia has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world, due in part to the fact that there is an urban economy and a more rural cashless economy. The inequality figures thus take into account people who do not actually rely on the formal economy for their survival. Although arable land accounts for <1% of Namibia, (about .97%), nearly half of the population is employed in agriculture.
About 4,000 commercial farmers own almost half of Namibia's arable land. The United Kingdom offered about $180,000 in 2004 to help finance Namibia's land reform process, as Namibia plans to start expropriating land from white farmers to resettle landless black Namibians. Germany has offered €1.1bn in 2021 over 30 years in reparations for the genocides in the early 20th century but the money will go towards infrastructure, healthcare and training programmes not land reform.
An agreement has been reached on the privatisation of several more enterprises in coming years, with hopes that this will stimulate much needed foreign investment, but reinvestment of environmentally derived capital has hobbled Namibian per capita income. One of the fastest growing areas of economic development in Namibia is the growth of wildlife conservancies.
Mining and electricity
Providing 25% of Namibia's revenue, mining is the single most important contributor to the economy. Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and was the world's fourth largest producer of uranium. There have been significant investment in uranium mining and Namibia planned to become the largest exporter of uranium by 2015. However, as of 2019 Namibia continued to produce 750 tons of uranium annually making it a smaller than average exporter in the competitive world market. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. While Namibia is known predominantly for its gem diamond and uranium deposits, a number of other minerals are extracted industrially such as lead, tungsten, gold, tin, fluorspar, manganese, marble, copper and zinc. Country's gold production in 2015 is 6 metric tons. There are offshore gas deposits in the Atlantic Ocean that are planned to be extracted in the future. According to "The Diamond Investigation", a book about the global diamond market, from 1978, De Beers, the largest diamond company, bought most of the Namibian diamonds, and would continue to do so, because "whatever government eventually comes to power they will need this revenue to survive".
Although much of the world's diamond supply comes from what have been called African blood diamonds, Namibia has managed to develop a diamond mining industry largely free of the kinds of conflict. This has been attributed to political dynamics, economic institutions, grievances, political geography, and the effects of neighbourhoods, and is the result of a joint agreement between the government and De Beers that has led to a taxable base, strengthening state institutions.
Estimates updated in 2022 suggest that two exploration wells in the offshore Orange Basin could hold 2 and 3 billion barrels of oil, respectively. The expected revenue could transform Namibia's domestic economy and facilitate sustainable development goals.
Domestic supply voltage is 220 V AC. Electricity is generated mainly by thermal and hydroelectric power plants. Non-conventional methods of electricity generation also play some role. Encouraged by the rich uranium deposits, in 2010 the Namibian government planned to erect its first nuclear power station by 2018. Uranium enrichment was also envisaged to take place locally.
Tourism
Tourism is a major contributor (14.5%) to Namibia's GDP, creating tens of thousands of jobs (18.2% of all employment) directly or indirectly and servicing over a million tourists per year. The country is a prime destination in Africa and is known for ecotourism, which features Namibia's extensive wildlife.
There are many lodges and reserves to accommodate ecotourists. Sport and trophy hunting is also a large and growing component of the Namibian economy, accounting for 14% of total tourism in the year 2000, or 19.6 million U.S. dollars, with Namibia boasting numerous species sought after by international sport hunters.
In addition, extreme sports such as sandboarding, skydiving and 4x4ing have become popular, and many cities have companies that provide tours. The most visited places include the capital city of Windhoek, Caprivi Strip, Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast Park, Sesriem, Etosha Pan and the coastal towns of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
Windhoek plays a very important role in Namibia's tourism due to its central location and close proximity to Hosea Kutako International Airport. According to The Namibia Tourism Exit Survey, which was produced by the Millennium Challenge Corporation for the Namibian Directorate of Tourism, 56% of all tourists visiting Namibia in 2012–13 visited Windhoek. Many of Namibia's tourism related parastatals and governing bodies such as Namibia Wildlife Resorts and the Namibia Tourism Board as well as Namibia's tourism-related trade associations such as the Hospitality Association of Namibia are headquartered in Windhoek. There are also a number of notable hotels in Windhoek, such as Windhoek Country Club Resort, and some international hotel chains, such as Hilton Hotels and Resorts.
Namibia's primary tourism related governing body, the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), was established by an Act of Parliament: the Namibia Tourism Board Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000). Its primary objectives are to regulate the tourism industry and to market Namibia as a tourist destination. There are also a number of trade associations that represent the tourism sector in Namibia, such as the Federation of Namibia Tourism Associations (the umbrella body for all tourism associations in Namibia), the Hospitality Association of Namibia, the Association of Namibian Travel Agents, Car Rental Association of Namibia and the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia.
Water supply and sanitation
The only bulk water supplier in Namibia is NamWater, which sells it to the respective municipalities which in turn deliver it through their reticulation networks. In rural areas, the directorate of Rural Water Supply in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform is in charge of drinking water supply.
The UN evaluated in 2011 that Namibia has improved its water access network significantly since independence in 1990. A large part of the population can not, however, make use of these resources due to the prohibitively high consumption cost and the long distance between residences and water points in rural areas. As a result, many Namibians prefer the traditional wells over the available water points far away.
Compared to the efforts made to improve access to safe water, Namibia is lagging behind in the provision of adequate sanitation. This includes 298 schools that have no toilet facilities. Over 50% of child deaths are related to lack of water, sanitation, or hygiene; 23% are due to diarrhea alone. The UN has identified a "sanitation crisis" in the country.
Apart from residences for upper and middle class households, sanitation is insufficient in most residential areas. Private flush toilets are too expensive for virtually all residents in townships due to their water consumption and installation cost. As a result, access to improved sanitation has not increased much since independence.
Demographics
Namibia has the second-lowest population density of any sovereign country, after Mongolia, as well as having the lowest population density of any sovereign country with a coastline. In 2017 there were on average 3.08 people per km2. In 2023, Namibia had population of 3,022,401 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
The Namibian population comprises Bantu and Khoisan peoples. The Bantu groups include the Herero, Kavango, Lozi, Ovambo, and Tswana peoples. The Khoisan groups encompass the Baster/Coloured, Damara, Nama, and San peoples. There is a substantial Chinese minority in Namibia; it stood at 40,000 in 2006.
Whites (being mainly of Afrikaner, German, British and Portuguese origin) make up 1.8% of the population.
Languages
| Home Languages in Namibia | ||||
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| Languages | percent | |||
| Oshiwambo Languages | 49.7% | |||
| Khoekhoegowab | 11.0% | |||
| Kavango Languages | 10.4% | |||
| Afrikaans | 9.4% | |||
| Herero Languages | 9.2% | |||
| Lozi Languages | 4.9% | |||
| English | 2.3% | |||
| Other | 1.0% | |||
| San Languages | 0.7% | |||
| German | 0.6% | |||
| Other African Languages | 0.5% | |||
| Tswana | 0.3% | |||
| Other European Languages | 0.1% | |||
The majority of Namibians can speak and understand English and Afrikaans. Up to 1990, English, German, and Afrikaans were official languages.
According to the latest statistical data gathered in the most recent survey (2016), the linguistic landscape in the region has witnessed notable shifts since the 2011 census. Oshiwambo remains the predominant language, claiming the position of the most spoken language for a significant 49.7% of households, surpassing its previous standing. KhoeKhoegowab follows at 11.0%, while the Kavango Languages, with a share of 10.4%, have also experienced a noteworthy increase. Afrikaans, identified as the country's lingua franca, maintains a considerable presence at 9.4%. The Herero Languages account for 9.2%, indicating a slight adjustment from the previous census. Silozi has seen a shift to 4.9%, and English, utilized primarily as a second language, stands at 2.3%. Other Languages collectively represent 1.0%, with San Languages at 0.7%, and German at 0.6%. The diversity of languages in the region is further demonstrated by the presence of Other African Languages at 0.5%, Setswana at 0.3%, and Other European Languages at 0.1%.
Most of the white population speaks English, Afrikaans or German. More than a century after the end of the German colonial era, German continues to play a role as a commercial language. As a home language, Afrikaans is spoken by 60% of the white community, German by 32%, English by 7% and Portuguese by 4–5%. Geographical proximity to Portuguese-speaking Angola explains the relatively high number of Portuguese speakers; in 2011 these were estimated to number 100,000.
Culture
Namibian culture is similar to South African culture due to their tied history and family nationalities. Few Namibians express interest in permanently settling in other countries; they prefer the safety of their homeland, have a strong national identity, and enjoy a well-supplied retail sector. Namibians are typically very social.
Sport
The most popular sport in Namibia is association football. The Namibia national football team qualified for the 1998, 2008, 2019, and 2023 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, but has yet to qualify for the World Cup. Some notable players include Derby County right-back Ryan Nyambe, Mamelodi Sundowns forward Peter Shalulile, and retired footballer Collin Benjamin.
The most successful national team is the Namibian rugby team, having competed in the last seven World Cups. Namibia were participants in the 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and most recent 2023 Rugby World Cup. Cricket in Namibia is also popular, with the national side having qualified for 2003 Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In December 2017, Namibia Cricket reached the final of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Provincial One Day Challenge for the first time. In February 2018 Namibia hosted the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 with Namibia, Kenya, UAE, Nepal, Canada and Oman to compete for the final two ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier positions in Zimbabwe. Namibia also qualified the qualifiers of ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and entered the super 12 club.
The most famous athlete from Namibia is Frankie Fredericks, sprinter in the 100 and 200 m events. He won four Olympic silver medals (1992, 1996) and also has medals from several World Athletics Championships. Golfer Trevor Dodds won the Greater Greensboro Open in 1998, one of 15 tournaments in his career. He achieved a career-high world ranking of 78th in 1998. Professional cyclist and Namibian Road Race champion Dan Craven represented Namibia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in both the road race and individual time trial. Boxer Julius Indongo is the unified WBA, IBF, and IBO world champion in the Light welterweight division. Another famous athlete from Namibia is ex-professional rugby player Jacques Burger. Burger played for Saracens and Aurillac in Europe, as well as gaining 41 caps for the national team.
Art
In 2022 Namibia took part in the Venice Biennale (often referred to as the "Olympics of Arts") for the first time. It competed in the 59th Edition with the exhibition "A Bridge to the Desert" featuring the "Lone Stone Men" project by Renn (Namibian artist).
Related pages
Images for kids
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German church and monument to colonists in Windhoek, Namibia.
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Map depicting the Police Zone (in tan) and tribal homelands (in red) as they existed in 1978. Self-governing tribal homelands appear as tan with red stripes.
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Foreign Observer identification badge issued during the 1989 Namibian election
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South African troops patrol the border region for PLAN insurgents, 1980s.
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Lutheran church in Swakopmund
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The Namibia rugby team
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Secondary school students
See also
In Spanish: Namibia para niños
