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Namibia

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Namibia is a country located in Southern Africa.

Namibia (orthographic projection)
Namibia (orthographic projection)

It sits along the Atlantic Ocean to the west. To the north, it borders Angola and Zambia. Botswana lies to the east. South Africa is to the south. In the northeast, Zimbabwe is very close to the Zambezi river.

Location Namibia AU Africa
Location Namibia AU Africa

The name Namibia comes from the Namib desert. This is the oldest desert in the world. The word Namib comes from the Khoi language. It means "vast place."

Namib Desert Namibia(2)
Namib Desert Namibia(2)

Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Much of the land is desert or a semi-desert plateau.

Namibia-1113
Namibia-1113

The climate varies across the region.

Koppen-Geiger Map NAM present
Koppen-Geiger Map NAM present

Various plants and animals live in these dry lands. For example, the plains zebra is part of the local wildlife.

Equus burchelli 4
Equus burchelli 4

The landscape includes features like the Fish River Canyon.

SAC Namibia-cactus
SAC Namibia-cactus

These natural features define the physical environment of the nation.

Human history in the region began in prehistoric times. The San, Damara, and Nama people inhabited the land long ago. The San people were hunter-gatherers. The Khoikhoi were pastoralists who raised livestock. Around the 14th century, Bantu peoples arrived during the Bantu expansion. They came from central Africa. Later, the Owambo people formed kingdoms like Ondonga and Oukwanyama.

Himba Woman and Family
Himba Woman and Family

These groups established complex social structures before European arrival.

European involvement changed the region's political structure. Portuguese navigators explored the coast in the late 15th century. However, they did not claim the land. In 1884, the German Empire established rule. They named the colony German South West Africa. This era was marked by extreme violence. Between 1904 and 1908, German troops fought the Herero and Nama. This was a genocide, or the systematic killing of a group.

Herero ladies
Herero ladies

About 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people died. Many died from disease or in detention camps.

Control of the territory shifted after World War I. South African forces defeated the Germans in 1915. In 1920, the League of Nations gave South Africa a mandate. A mandate is an international agreement to manage a territory. South Africa was supposed to prepare the land for self-rule. Instead, they applied apartheid. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and discrimination.

SADF-Operations 4
SADF-Operations 4

Black Namibians faced strict laws and restricted movement. The United Nations later took responsibility for the territory in 1966.

Resistance to South African rule grew over time. The South West African People's Organisation, or SWAPO, became a key group.

Foreign Observer identification badge in the 1989 Namibian election
Foreign Observer identification badge in the 1989 Namibian election

SWAPO represented the Namibian people in their fight for independence. This led to the South African Border War. Namibia finally gained independence in March 1990. It is now a parliamentary democracy. The capital city is Windhoek.

Downtown Windhoek, Independence Avenue
Downtown Windhoek, Independence Avenue

Windhoek serves as the country's largest urban center.

The modern Namibian economy relies on several key sectors. Mining is a major industry. The country mines diamonds, uranium, gold, and silver. Agriculture and tourism also support the economy. However, the manufacturing sector remains small. There are still challenges regarding wealth and poverty. The Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, was 59 in 2015. This shows a high level of disparity. About 41% of the population faces multidimensional poverty.

Namibia GDP per capita
Namibia GDP per capita

Despite these issues, the country has seen GDP growth since independence.

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🖼️ Images & Media (26)
Namibia, Land of the Brave.ogg
File:Namibia (orthographic projection).svg
Namibia (orthographic projection).svg
File:Location Namibia AU Africa.svg
Location Namibia AU Africa.svg
File:Foreign Observer identification badge in the 1989 Namibian election.jpg
Foreign Observer identification badge in...
File:SADF-Operations 4.jpg
SADF-Operations 4.jpg
File:Namib Desert Namibia(2).jpg
Namib Desert Namibia(2).jpg
File:SAC Namibia-cactus.jpg
SAC Namibia-cactus.jpg
File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_NAM_present.svg
Koppen-Geiger_Map_NAM_present.svg
File:Namibia-1113.jpg
Namibia-1113.jpg
File:SAC Namibia-bushveld.jpg
SAC Namibia-bushveld.jpg
File:Tintenpalast-Windhoek.jpg
Tintenpalast-Windhoek.jpg
File:Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi (2019-10-24).jpg
Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi (2019-10-24).jpg

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