Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
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Background:
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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. Independence came in 1990.
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Location:
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Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 00 S, 17 00 E
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than half the size of Alaska
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
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Coastline:
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1,572 km
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
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Terrain:
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mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m
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Natural resources:
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diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
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Land use:
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arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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70 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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prolonged periods of drought
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Environment - current issues:
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very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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1,820,916
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 2002 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 42.6% (male 392,706; female 382,690)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 490,151; female 488,052)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 29,345; female 37,972) (2002 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.19% (2002 est.)
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Birth rate:
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34.17 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Death rate:
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22.28 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2002 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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72.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 38.97 years
female: 37.07 years (2002 est.)
male: 40.81 years
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Total fertility rate:
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4.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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19.54% (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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160,000 (1999 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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18,000 (1999 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian
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Ethnic groups:
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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%
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Religions:
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Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%
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Languages:
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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
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38%
male: 45%
female: 31% (1960 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia
former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Windhoek
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Administrative divisions:
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13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa
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Independence:
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21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 21 March (1990)
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Constitution:
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ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990
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Legal system:
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based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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%
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Legislative branch:
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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)
note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body
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,
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
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Political parties and leaders:
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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]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard Nangolo IIPUMBU
chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443
telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Kevin J. McGUIRE
embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek
mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek
telephone: [264] (61) 221601
FAX: [264] (61) 229792
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel 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. About 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 five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest 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. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $8.1 billion (2001 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4% (2001 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2001 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 11%
industry: 28%
services: 61% (2000 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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8.8% (2001)
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Labor force:
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500,000
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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30% to 40%, including underemployment (1997 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $883 million
expenditures: $950 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)
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Industries:
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meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA
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Electricity - production:
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30 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 2%
other: 0% (2000)
hydro: 98%
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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890.9 million kWh (2000)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000)
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Electricity - imports:
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863 million kWh
note: supplied by South Africa (2000)
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Agriculture - products:
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millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish
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Exports:
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$1.58 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
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Exports - partners:
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UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998 est.)
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Imports:
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$1.71 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
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South Africa 81%, US 4%, Germany 2% (1997 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$217 million (2000 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$127 million (1998)
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Currency:
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Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)
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Currency code:
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NAD; ZAR
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Exchange rates:
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Namibian dollars per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Railways:
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total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2001)
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Highways:
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total: 64,800 km
paved: 5,378 km
unpaved: 59,430 km (2001)
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Waterways:
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none
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Ports and harbors:
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Luderitz, Walvis Bay
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Merchant marine:
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none (2002 est.)
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Airports:
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137 (2001)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 22
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2001)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 115
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 20 (2001)
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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