Introduction

Background: 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.

Geography

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish

Note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Land use: arable land: 0.99%

Permanent crops: 0%

Other: 99.01% (2001)

Irrigated land: 70 sq km (1998 est.)

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

People

Population: 2,030,692

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 2005 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.7% (male 396,247/female 389,543)

15-64 years: 57.7% (male 586,900/female 584,779); 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 33,524/female 39,699) (2005 est.)

Median age: total: 19.79 years; male: 19.63 years; female: 19.94 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.73% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 25.16 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); Death rate: 18.36 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 48.98 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 53 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 44.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.93 years; male: 44.71 yearsfemale: 43.13 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.18 children born/woman (2005 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

Vector borne disease: malaria

Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Nationality: noun: Namibian(s)

Adjective: Namibian

Ethnic groups: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%

Note: about 50% of the population belongs to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: 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: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 84%

male: 84.4%; female: 83.7% (2003 est.)

Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Namibia

Conventional short form: Namibia

Former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa

Government type: republic

Capital: Windhoek

Administrative divisions: 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa

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