Namibia Online

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Namibia    Introduction Top of Page

Background:

 South Africa occupied the German colony of Sud-West Afrika 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. Independence came in 1990.
Namibia    Geography Top of Page

Location:

 Southern Africa, bordered on the west by the South Atlantic Ocean, on the east by Botswana, with South Africa in the south and Angola and Zambia in the north.

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:  3,824 km

border countries:  Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 855 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline:

 1,572 km

Maritime claims:

 contiguous zone:  24 NM

exclusive economic zone:  200 NM

territorial sea:  12 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:

 rich in mineral resources, including diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish

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

Land use:

 arable land:  1%

permanent crops:  0%

permanent pastures:  46%

forests and woodland:  22%

other:  31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

 prolonged periods of drought

Environment - current issues:

 very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

 party to:  Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:  none of the selected agreements
Namibia    People Top of Page

Population:

 1,797,677

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 2001 est.)

Age structure:

 0-14 years:  42.74% (male 389,028; female 379,229)

15-64 years:  53.54% (male 480,075; female 482,375)

65 years and over:  3.72% (male 29,109; female 37,861) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

 1.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

 34.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

 20.9 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

 at birth:  1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:  1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:  1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:  0.77 male(s)/female

total population:  1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

 71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

 total population:  40.62 years

male:  42.48 years

female:  38.71 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

 4.83 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

 19.54% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

 160,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

 18,000 (1999 est.)

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 are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Religions:

 Christian 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), traditional beliefs 10%.

Languages:

 English (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and German widely used, various ethnic languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama/Damara, Lozi, Kwangali and Tswana.

Literacy:

 definition:  age 15 and over can read and write

total population:  52%

An estimated 95% of children between the ages of 6 and 18 years now attend school.
Namibia    Government Top of Page

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

Independence:

 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday:

 Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution:

 ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990

Legal system:

 based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution

Suffrage:

 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

 chief of state:  President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:  President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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; election last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:  Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA elected president; percent of vote - Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA 77%

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 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held by December 2004); National Assembly - last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held by December 2004)

election results:  National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 21, DTA 4, UDF 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76%, COD 10%, DTA 9%, UDF 3%, MAG 1%, other 1%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 7, DTA 7, UDF 2, 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, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Kosie PRETORIUS]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

 NA

International organization participation:

 AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Flag description:

 a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders
Namibia    Economy Top of Page

Economy - overview:

 The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 30% 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. The fishery sector contributes approximately 56% to GDP. 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 four times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorer 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. GDP growth in 2000 was led by gains in the diamond and fish sectors. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment. 

GDP:

 purchasing power parity - $7.6 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

 5,5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita:

 purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

 agriculture:  12%

industry:  25%

services:  63% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:

 NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

 lowest 10%:  NA%

highest 10%:  NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

 9.1% (2000)

Labor force:

 500,000

Labor force - by occupation:

 agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

 30%, including underemployment (1999 est.)

Budget:

 revenues:  $883 million

expenditures:  $950 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)

Industries:

 meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate:

 NA

Electricity - production:

 1.198 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

 fossil fuel:  2%

hydro:  98%

nuclear:  0%

other:  0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

 1.948 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

 56 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

 890 million kWh

note:  supplied by South Africa (1999)

Agriculture - products:

 millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish

Exports:

 $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities:

 diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins, seafood, handicrafts, pelts, cattle, beef, marble, granite and semi-precious stones.

Exports - partners:

 UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998 est.)

Imports:

 $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities:

 foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, vehicles, electronic goods, clothing and footwear.

Imports - partners:

 South Africa 81%, US 4%, Germany 2% (1997 est.)

Debt - external:

 $217 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

 $127 million (1998)

Currency:

 Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:

 NAD; ZAR

Exchange rates:

 Namibian dollars per US dollar - 11.48 (2002), 7.78307 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996)

Fiscal year:

 1 April - 31 March
Namibia    Communications Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use:

 190,807 (2000 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

 21,664 (2000 est.)

Telephone system:

 general assessment:  good system; about 9 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:  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

Radio broadcast stations:

 AM 2, FM 34, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios:

 432,000 (1999 est.)

Television broadcast stations:

 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

 110,000 (1999 est.)

Internet country code:

 .na

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

 4 (2001)

Internet users:

 19,000 (2000)
Namibia    Transportation Top of Page

Railways:

 total:  2,382 km

narrow gauge:  2,382 km 1.067-m gauge; single track (1995)

Highways:

 total:  63,258 km

paved:  5,250 km

unpaved:  58,008 km (1997 est.)

Waterways:

 none

Ports and harbors:

 Walvis Bay and Luderitz

Merchant marine:

 none (2000 est.)

Airports:

 131 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

 total:  21

over 3,047 m:  2

2,438 to 3,047 m:  2

1,524 to 2,437 m:  13

914 to 1,523 m:  4 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

 total:  110

2,438 to 3,047 m:  2

1,524 to 2,437 m:  21

914 to 1,523 m:  69

under 914 m:  18 (2000 est.)
Namibia    Military Top of Page

Military branches:

 National Defense Force (Army), Police

Military manpower - availability:

 males age 15-49:  427,067 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

 males age 15-49:  255,016 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

 $104.4 million (2001)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

 2.6% (FY97/98)
Namibia    Transnational Issues Top of Page

Disputes - international:

 dispute with Botswana over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River resolved by the ICJ in favor of Botswana (13 December 1999); at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested.