Africa

Namibia

Namibia lies in Southwest Africa and borders the South Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola to the north, Zambia in the northeast, Botswana in Southeast and South Africa to the South.

The country encompasses broad geographical variations and can be divided into four regions. The dunes and desert coastal plains of Namib, the Skeleton Coast, the Kalahari Basin and the wooded bushveld of Kavango and Caprivi.

Namibia is the least known of the Southern African countries, but her attractions are unparalleled, from the spectacular red dunes of the Namib desert to the wild Skeleton coast and the game rich Etosha National Park...More Information on Namibia.

Full country name: Republic of Namibia
Area: 825,418 sq km (318,261 sq mi
Population: 1.8 million
Capital City: Windhoek (pop 161,000)
People: 86% African (50% Owambo, 9% Kavango, 7% Herero, 7% Damara, 5% Nama, 4% Caprivian, 3% San, 2% Baster, 0.5% Tswana), 7.4% mixed, 6.6% white
Language: English, Afrikaans, German, Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Religion: Christian, Lutheran, native religions
Government: Republic
Head of State: Nujoma
Head of Government: Gurirab, Theo-Ben

Also Read: A Short Background of Namibia

History of Namibia

The San are generally assumed to have been the earliest inhabitants of the region. Later inhabitants include the Nama and the Damara or Berg Dama. The Bantu-speaking Ovambo and Herero migrated from the north in about the 14th century A.D.

The inhospitable Namib Desert constituted a formidable barrier to European exploration until the late 18th century, when successions of travelers, traders, hunters, and missionaries explored the area. In 1878, the United Kingdom annexed Walvis Bay on behalf of Cape Colony, and the area was incorporated into the Cape of Good Hope in 1884. In 1883, a German trader, Adolf Luderitz, claimed the rest of the coastal region after negotiations with a local chief...More on Namibia's History.

Overview of Namibia's Economy

GDP: US$6.6 billion
GDP per capita: US$4100
Annual Growth: 2%
Inflation: 7%
Major Industries: Meat packing, fish processing, dairy products, mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper), millet, sorghum, peanuts, livestock, fish
Major Trading Partners: UK, South Africa, Spain, Japan, Germany, USA
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Namibia

Political System of Namibia

- Government of Namibia
- Foreign relations of Namibia

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

Everywhere in Namibia enjoys a minimum of 300 days of sunshine a year, but temperatures and rainfall vary considerably both seasonally and geographically. The cold Benguela current keeps the coast of the Desert cool and free from rain. In the interior most the rain fall from November to April. At high altitudes the nights, and during the winter night it can get a bit cold but the country is pleasant to visit all year round. Most people find it is best to avoid the Namib-Naukluft and Etosha national parks in the extreme heat between December and March. Mainly desert, hot, dry, rainfall very low and erratic. Prone to long periods of drought.


Envoirnment: Namibia is on Africa’s south-west coast, bordering South Africa in the south...more.

Languages: Languages spoken include Ovambo, Damara, Kavango and Herero...more.

Culture: Namibia’s population includes at least 11 major ethnic groups...more.

People of Namibia: Namibians are of diverse ethnic origins. The principal groups are the Ovambo...more.


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Most visitors to Namibia do not require a visa
Health risks: Bilharzia (in the east), malaria (in the north-east)
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money & Costs | Transportation in Namibia | Public holidays in Namibia | Events Of Namibia

When to Go

The dry winter season (May to October) is the most pleasant time to visit Namibia. It’s best to avoid Namib-Naukluft Park and Etosha National Park in the extreme heat between December and March. Resort areas are busiest during both Namibian and South African school holidays, which usually take place from mid-December to mid-January, late-April to early June, and late-August to mid-September.

Also Read: Getting Around in Namibia | Getting There & Away

What to See in Namibia

Other Tourist Attractions in Namibia

more...

Namibia Game Reserves

Namibia National Parks

What to do in Namibia

Most people come to Namibia to go to the game parks and wildlife reserves to view African animals in their habitat. The wide-open areas and variable landscapes present great opportunities for walking and hiking. Permits to do multi-day walks at the Waterberg Plateau, Naukluft Mountains, the Ugab River and the Fish River Canyon are strictly limited and you should book as far in advance as possible; you’ll need a party of at least three and a Windhoek doctor’s certificate stating that you’re fit and able. Within the parks and reserves travellers enjoy camping and the great outdoors. There are opportunities to go river rafting and canoeing along some of the mighty inland waterways, including the Orange River. Horse riding is popular and multi-day horse treks are offered from various places.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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Africa Travel Guide