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Introduction | Namibia

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 | Namibia

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: 0.01% other: 99% (2005)
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 | Namibia

Population: | 2,044,147 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 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 393,878/female 387,147) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 596,557/female 591,350) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 34,245/female 40,970) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 20 years male: 19.8 years female: 20.1 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.59% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 24.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 18.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 48.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 43.39 years male: 44.46 years female: 42.29 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 3.06 children born/woman (2006 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 (2005)
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 (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 | Namibia

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 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; election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held 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; 2 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 November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2009)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 75.1%, COD 7.2%, DTA 5%, NUDO 4.1%, UDF 3.5%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%; 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, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO]

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), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Hopelong Uushona IPINGE chancery: 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 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 | Namibia

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 2003-05.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $16.58 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $4.952 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 4.2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $8,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 9.3% industry: 27.8% services: 62.9% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 820,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 35% (1998)
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%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 70.7 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.7% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 21.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $1.945 billion expenditures: $2.039 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 39.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish
Industries: | meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 1.464 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: | NA
Electricity - consumption: | 2.372 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 55 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 1.065 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 16,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 62.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $579 million (2005 est.)
Exports: | $2.04 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
Exports - partners: | South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2004)
Imports: | $2.35 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners: | South Africa 85.2%, US (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $365 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $1.164 billion (2005 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 - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001)
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March

Communications | Namibia

Telephones - main lines in use: | 127,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 286,100 (2004)

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 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: | 60,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .na
Internet hosts: | 3,273 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 2 (2000)
Internet users: | 75,000 (2005)

Transportation | Namibia

Airports: | 136 (2005)
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 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 115 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 71 under 914 m: 20 (2005)
Railways: | total: 2,382 km narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
Roadways: | total: 42,237 km paved: 5,406 km unpaved: 36,831 km (2002)
Merchant marine: | total: 1 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Military | Namibia

Military branches: | Namibian Defense Force: Army (includes Air Wing), Navy, Police
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 - dollar figure: | $149.5 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.3% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues | Namibia

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 12,618 (Angola) (2005)

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006