The Republic of Namibia is a country in southwestern Africa, on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It gained independence from South Africa in 1990, and as such it is one of the youngest nations in the world. Its capital is Windhoek. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Angola is a country in southwestern Africa bordering Namibia, Congo-Kinshasa, and Zambia, and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean. ... Zambia is a republic in south central Africa. ... The Republic of Botswana (Lefatshe la Botswana) is a landlocked nation of southern Africa. ... Windhoek, Namibia Windhoek, population 230,000, is the capital of Namibia. ...

(In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: Unity, Liberty, Justice
Official languages	English1
Capital	Windhoek
President	Hifikepunye Pohamba
Prime minister	Nahas Angula
Area - Total - % water	Ranked 33rd 825,418 km² Negligible
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	Ranked 143rd 1,820,916 2.2/km²
Independence	(from South Africa) March 21, 1990
Currency	Namibian dollar
Time zone	UTC +1
National anthem	Namibia, Land of the Brave
Internet TLD	.na
Calling Code	264
1 The majority of the white population speaks either German or Afrikaans. German and Afrikaans were official languages until 1990, when the country gained independence

File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Transparent version of 125px width File links The following pages link to this file: Namibia List of national coats of arms Categories: Images with unknown source ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Namibia was adopted on March 21, 1990. ... Here is a list of state mottos for countries and their subdivisions around the world. ... Location map for the Namibia. ... An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In politics a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... Windhoek, Namibia Windhoek, population 230,000, is the capital of Namibia. ... This page contains a list of presidents of Namibia. ... Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born August 18, 1935) is a Namibian politician from the South-West Africa Peoples Organisation (SWAPO) ruling party who won the presidential election of November 15/16, 2004 with 76% of the vote, in what has been described as a landslide. [1] He was backed by... Prime minister of Namibia - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Nahas Gideon Angula (born 1943) is the current Prime Minister of Namibia since March 21, 2005. ... This article explains the meaning of area as a physical quantity. ... Here is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... In the most common sense of the word, a population is the collection of people—or organisms of a particular species—living in a given geographic area. ... Population density can be used as a measurement of any tangible item. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population. ... Independence is autonomous self-government of a country by its residents and indigenous population. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... The Bank of Namibia issued the first national currency, the Namibian Dollar on 15 September 1993. ... -1... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, is an atomic realization of Universal Time or Greenwich mean time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... The National Anthem is the name of a song by the band Radiohead. ... Namibia, Land of the Brave is the national anthem of Namibia. ... A top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of which Internet domain names consist of. ... .na is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for Namibia. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ...

History

Main article: History of Namibia The history of Namibia has passed through several distinct stages, and Namibia as a modern state has only existed since the early 1980s. ...

The dry lands of Namibia, inhabited since the early times by San, Damara, Nama and since about the 14th century A.D. also by immigrating Bantu, who came with the Bantu expansion, were not extensively explored by Europeans until the 19th century, when the land came under German control as South-West Africa, with the exception of Walvis Bay, which was under British control. South Africa occupied the colony during World War I and administered it as a League of Nations mandate territory until after World War II when it unilaterally annexed the territory. The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ... In Celtic mythology, Damara was a fertility goddess worshipped in Britain. ... The term Nama can refer to: Nama (plant) — a genus of plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae Nama language — a language of Namibia Nama beer, a Japanese term for draught beer, from the Japanese word nama = fresh or raw. ... The Bantu refer to over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa, united by a common language family, the Bantu languages, and in many cases common customs. ... The Bantu refer to over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa, united by a common language family, the Bantu languages, and in many cases common customs. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch S d-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conqured from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory... Walvis Bay, Namibia Walvis Bay, originally Walvisbaai meaning Whale Bay in Afrikaans, is an area in Namibia with a chequered history. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The League of Nations was an international organisation founded after the First World War with its constitution being approved by the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ... League of Nations mandates were territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919. ...

In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a United Nations peace plan for the entire region. Independence came in 1990, while Walvis Bay was ceded to Namibia in 1994.-1... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... The South West African Peoples Organization is a political party in Namibia. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization made up of 191 states established in 1945. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Politics

Main article: Politics of Namibia The Constituent Assembly of Namibia produced a constitution which established a multi-party system and a bill of rights. ...

The Namibian head of state is the president, who is elected by popular vote every five years. The government is headed by the prime minister, who is appointed by the president, together with his cabinet. SWAPO, the primary force behind independence that has since moved away from its Marxist roots, is currently still the country's largest party. A head of state or chief of state is the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions and duties granted to the head of state in the countrys... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Alternative meaning: Prime Minister (band) A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or semi-presidential system whose duty is to execute the... Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ...

Namibia's bicameral parliament consists of the National Council, which holds 26 seats occupied by two members chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms, and the National Assembly of 78 seats, of which 72 members are elected by popular vote and 6 non-voting members are appointed by the president. All serve five-year terms. Alternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). ...

The Assembly is the primary legislative body, with the Council playing more of an advisory role. The 1990 constitution is noted for being one of the first to incorporate protection of the environment into its text. The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court, whose judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission. A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... An organizations constitution defines its form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules. ... An environment is a complex of external factors that acts on a system and determines its course and form of existence. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ...

Regions

Main article: Regions of Namibia Namibia is divided into 13 regions: Caprivi Erongo Hardap Karas Kavango Khomas Kunene Ohangwena Omaheke Omusati Oshana Oshikoto Otjozondjupa Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Regions of Namibia ...

Namibia is divided into 13 regions: Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Kavango, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena,Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, and Otjozondjupa. Location: Caprivi, Namibia Area: 19,532km² (7,541 mi²) Population: 79,852 (2001), 90,422 (1991) Capital: Katima Mulilo Time Zone: South African Standard Time: UTC+1 Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip or Caprivi Region and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about 450km... Area: 63,720km2 (24,602 mi²) Population: 107,629 (2001), 55,470 (1991) Population density 1. ... Area: 109,888 km² (42,428 mi²) Population: 67,998 (2001), 66,495 (1991) Population density 1. ... Area: 161,325 km² (62,288 mi²) Population: 69,677 Population density 0. ... Area: 43,418 km² (16,764 mi²) Population: 201,093 (2001), 116,830 (1991) Population density 4. ... Area: 36,805 km² (14,210 mi²) Population: 250,305 (2001), 167,071 (1991) Population density 6. ... Area: 144,255 km² (55,697 mi²) Population: 68,244 (2001), 64,017 (1991) Population density 0. ... Area: 10,582 km² (4,086 mi²) Population: 227,728 (2001), 179,634 (1991) Population density 21. ... Area: 84,732 km² (32,715 mi²) Population: 67,496 (2001), 52,735 (1991) Population density 0. ... Area: 13,638 km² (5,265 mi²) Population: 228,364 (2001), 189,919 (1991) Population density 16. ...

Geography

Map of Namibia

Main article: Geography of Namibia map of namibia (CIA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km Land boundaries: total: 3,824 km border countries: Angola 1,376...

The Namibian landscape consists primarily of central highlands of which the highest point is the Brandberg at 2,606 m. The central plateau runs from north to south, bordered by the Namib Desert and its coastal plains in the west, the Orange River in the south, and the Kalahari Desert in the east. A remarkable strip of land in the northeast known as the Caprivi Strip is the remainder of a narrow corridor for Germany to access the Zambezi River. Brandberg is a constituency in the Erongo Region of Namibia. ... Dune 7, Highest sand dune in the world, Namib Desert, Namibia The Namib Desert is a large desert in south western Africa. ... The Orange River is the largest river of South Africa. ... The Kalahari Desert is a large, arid to semi-arid sandy area in southern Africa that covers about 500,000 km². It covers 70% of Botswana, and parts of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. ... Location: Caprivi, Namibia Area: 19,532km (7,541 mi ) Population: 79,852 (2001), 90,422 (1991) Capital: Katima Mulilo Time Zone: South African Standard Time: UTC+1 Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip or Caprivi Region and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about 450km... Zambezi River in North Western Zambia The Zambezi (also spelled Zambesi) is a river in Southern Africa. ...

The Namibian climate ranges from desert to subtropical and is generally hot and dry; precipitation is sparse and erratic. The cold, north-flowing Benguela current accounts for some of the low precipitation. Besides the capital city Windhoek, in the centre of the country, important towns are the ports of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, as well as Oshakati, Grootfontein and Keetmanshoop. Map of the climate of the Earth The climate (ancient Greek: κλίμα) is the weather averaged over a long period of time. ... A dune in the Egyptian desert In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Where it is The frigid waters of the north-flowing Benguela current move from the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica along the west coast of Africa as far as Angola. ... Windhoek, Namibia Windhoek, population 230,000, is the capital of Namibia. ... Walvis Bay, Namibia Walvis Bay, originally Walvisbaai meaning Whale Bay in Afrikaans, is an area in Namibia with a chequered history. ... Swakopmund, Namibia Swakopmund is a city in Namibia, with around 35,000 inhabitants. ... Grootfontein, Namibia Grootfontein lies on the B8, the Namibian National Road, which leads from Windhoek to the Caprivi Strip in the north-eastern part of Namibia. ... Keetmanshoop, Namibia Keetmanshoop (the hope of Keetman in Afrikaans) is the traffic junction and the economic centre for the whole south of Namibia. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Namibia The economy of Namibia is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. ...

The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... In economics, the gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the amount of the economic production of a particular territory in financial capital terms during a specific time period. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Uranium, U, 92 Chemical series Actinides Period, Block 7 , f Density, Hardness 19050 kg/m3, ND Appearance silvery-white metal Atomic properties Atomic weight 238. ... A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... For the lead in news writing, see news style. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Density, Hardness 7140 kg/m3, 2. ... The word tin is often used to mean a can, even if it does not contain any tin metal. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5 , d Density, Hardness 10490 kg/m3, 2. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 6 (VIB), 6 , d Density, Hardness 19250 kg/m3, 7. ...

About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. Namibia must 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 pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa. Agreement has been reached on the privatisation of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment. Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals ( livestock). ... Unemployment rates in the United States. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or — especially in India — disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership. ...

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Namibia Namibians are of diverse ethnic origins. ...

The majority of the Namibian population is black, mostly of the Ovambo tribe, which forms about half of the population. There are larger groups of Nama and San, who differ significantly in appearence from the country's other black African ethnic groups." There is also a larger group of people with mixed origin e.g. the Baster. Whites make up about 6% of the population--one of the largest proportions in sub-Saharan Africa. Most whites are of South African descent. A small portion is of German descent. (20,000) Nama is a Khoisan language spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. ... The Bushmen or San peoples of South Africa and neighbouring Botswana and Namibia, who live in the Kalahari, are part of the Khoisan group and are related to the Khoikhoi. ... The Basters (also known as Baasters or Rehoboth Basters) are the descendents of liaisons between the Cape Colony Dutch and indigenous African women. ...

While the official language is English, most of the white population speaks either Afrikaans or German, which both were official languages until 1990 when Namibia became independent. The home language of most of the population is Ovambo or one of several other indigenous languages. Christianity is the major religion, with the Lutheran Church being the largest. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ...

See also: Music of Namibia Namibia is a southern African country. ...

Miscellaneous topics

Former coat of arms of Namibia

• Communications in Namibia
• Transportation in Namibia
• Military of Namibia
• Constituencies of Namibia
• Regions of Namibia
• Foreign relations of Namibia
• List of Namibians
• List of cities in Namibia
• Frankie Fredericks
• National parks
• Reporters without borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2003: Rank 56 out of 166 countries (3-way tie) (31 out of 139 countries - 2002)

File links The following pages link to this file: Namibia Categories: Images with unknown source ... Telephones - main lines in use: 110,200 (2000), 100,848 (1997) Telephones - mobile cellular: 82,000 (2000 est. ... Railways: total: 2,382 km narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1. ... The constitution of Namibia defined the role of the military as defending the territory and national interests. ... Each of the 12 regions in Namibia is further subdivided into a constituency. ... Namibia is divided into 13 regions: Caprivi Erongo Hardap Karas Kavango Khomas Kunene Ohangwena Omaheke Omusati Oshana Oshikoto Otjozondjupa Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Regions of Namibia ... Namibia follows a largely independent foreign policy, with lingering affiliations with states that aided the independence struggle, including Libya and Cuba. ... This is a list of Namibians that are famous. ... This is a list of cities in Namibia: Gobabis Grootfontein Hentiesbaai Karasburg Katima Mulilo Keetmanshoop Lüderitz Okahandja Ondangwa Otavi Otjiwarongo Outjo Walvis Bay Rehoboth, Namibia Rundu Swakopmund Tsumeb Windhoek Categories: Lists of cities ... Frank Fredericks (born October 2, 1967) is a Namibian athlete, the first and so far only Olympic medalist of his country. ... This is a list of national parks in Namibia, Africa. ... Reporters Without Borders, or RWB ( French: Reporters sans frontières, or RSF) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to freedom of the press. ...

External links

• Republic of Namibia (http://www.grnnet.gov.na/intro.htm) - Namibian governmental portal
• CIA - The World Factbook -- Namibia (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wa.html)
• Wikitravel:Namibia - Article on Namibia at Wikitravel
• Pictures from a trip to Namibia (http://namibia.ianandwendy.com)
• Namibian News and Media (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/Namibia/News_and_Media/)