South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (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 UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule.
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
Area - comparative
slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundaries
total
3,936 km
border countries
Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline
1,572 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Climate
desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
Land use
arable land
0.99%
permanent crops
0.01%
other
99% (2005)
Irrigated land
80 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards
prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues
very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas
Environment - international agreements
party to
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip
Population
2,055,080
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
37.7% (male 390,448/female 383,698)
15-64 years
58.6% (male 606,239/female 597,512)
65 years and over
3.8% (male 34,926/female 42,257) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
20.2 years
male
20.1 years
female
20.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.478% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
23.52 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
19.15 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.018 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.015 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.827 male(s)/female
total population
1.008 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
47.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male
51.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female
43.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
43.11 years
male
44.39 years
female
41.79 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.94 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
21.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
210,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
16,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk
high
food or waterborne diseases
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease
malaria
water contact disease
schistosomiasis (2007)
Nationality
noun
Namibian(s)
adjective
Namibian
Ethnic groups
black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups includes Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%
Religions
Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%
Languages
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
85%
male
86.8%
female
83.5% (2001 census)
Country name
conventional long form
Republic of Namibia
conventional short form
Namibia
local long form
Republic of Namibia
local short form
Namibia
former
German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa
Government type
republic
Capital
name
Windhoek
geographic coordinates
22 34 S, 17 06 E
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April
President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005)
head of government
Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005)
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly
elections
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results
Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2%
Legislative branch
bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils to determine members of the National Council held 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%, other 0.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76.1%, COD 7.3%, DTA 5.1%, NUDO 4.2%, UDF 3.6%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%, other 1.0%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1
note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties and leaders
Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; National Democratic Movement for Change or NamDMC; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; South West Africa National Union or SWANU [Rihupisa KANDANDO]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]
1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone
[1] (202) 986-0540
FAX
[1] (202) 986-0443
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Joyce BARR
embassy
Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek
mailing address
Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek
telephone
[264] (61) 221601
FAX
[264] (61) 229792
Flag description
a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner; the upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a yellow, 12-rayed sunburst; the lower fly-side triangle is green
Economy - overview
The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the world's worst inequality of income distribution. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-06.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$15.44 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$5.329 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$7,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
11.8%
industry
30.2%
services
58.1% (2006 est.)
Labor force
653,000 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
47%
industry
20%
services
33% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate
5.3% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
0.5%
highest 10%
64.5%
Distribution of family income - Gini index
70.7 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
25% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$2.233 billion
expenditures
$2.214 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners
South Africa 85.2%, US (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$480 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$887 million (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
ODA, $160 million (2000 est.)
Currency (code)
Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)
Currency code
NAD; ZAR
Exchange rates
Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
Telephones - main lines in use
127,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
495,000 (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons
domestic
good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital
international
country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios
232,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
8 (plus about 20 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
60,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.na
Internet hosts
3,527 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
2 (2000)
Internet users
75,000 (2005)
Airports
137 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
21
over 3,047 m
3
2,438 to 3,047 m
2
1,524 to 2,437 m
13
914 to 1,523 m
3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
116
2,438 to 3,047 m
2
1,524 to 2,437 m
22
914 to 1,523 m
72
under 914 m
20 (2006)
Railways
total
2,382 km
narrow gauge
2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
42,237 km
paved
5,406 km
unpaved
36,831 km (2002)
Merchant marine
total
1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT
by type
cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals
Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Military branches
Namibian Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Wing (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 441,293 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 217,118 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
3.7% (2006)
Disputes - international
concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 11,900 (Angola) (2006)
