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Guide to Namibia

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
Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundaries: total
Coastline: 1,572 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea
Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note
Land use: arable land
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
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
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
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
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
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
Nationality: noun
Ethnic groups: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note
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
Literacy: definition

Government

Country name: conventional long form
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
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
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 Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
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

Economy

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 great inequality of income distribution; nearly one-third of Namibians had annual incomes of less than $1,400 in constant 1994 dollars, according to a 1993 study. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Mining of zinc, copper, and silver and increased fish production led growth in 2003-04.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.76 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: 840,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 35% (1998)
Population below poverty line: 50% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 70 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
Public debt: 38.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products: millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish
Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: 1.167 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: NA
Electricity - consumption: 1.92 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 65 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 900 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 13,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 31.15 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $234.3 million (2004 est.)
Exports: $1.356 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
Exports - partners: EU 79%, US 4% (2001)
Imports: $1.473 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners: US 50%, EU 31% (2001)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $360 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external: $1.136 billion (2004 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 - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 127,400 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 223,700 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001)
Radios: 232,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 60,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .na
Internet hosts: 3,164 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 65,000 (2003)

Transportation

Railways: total
Highways: total
Ports and harbors: Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Merchant marine: total
Airports: 136 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total

Military

Military branches: Namibian Defense Force
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $168.4 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.1% (2004)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: border commission has yet to resolve small residual disputes with Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngu marshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protest Namibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls; 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
Last updated: 20 October, 2005


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