Everything you need to know about Namibia: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more

Namibia: The African Wonderland of Nature's Beauty

The San people first inhabited Namibia 2000 years ago. Later on Bantu-speaking Herero migrated there in the 17th century. The Ovambo, the largest ethnic group presently living in Namibia migrated in the 19th century. In 1884 Namibia was colonialised by Germany and between 1904 and 1908, German troops massacred tens of thousands of Hereros in order to suppress the revolt against the German colonial power. South Africa took over Namibia’s trusteeship after the collapse of the League of Nations. In 1966 South Africa withdrew its troops and after decades of negotiations with UN Namibia fianlly achieved independence in 1990.

Namibia Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures

· National Name: The Republic of Namibia
· Capital: Windhoek
· Total area: 824,292 sq km (318,261 sq miles)
· Population: 2.1 million (UN, 2008)
· Currency: Namibian Dollar
· Languages: English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)
· Ethnicity/ Races: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
· Religion: Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%
· GDP (Per Capita): $5,500 (2008 est.)
· Life Expectancy: Male: 50.39 years, Female: 49.38 years (2008 est.)
· Literacy Rate: Male: 86.8%, Female: 83.5% (2001 census)

Geographical Information on Namibia:
Namibia is the country located in southern Africa on the coast of Atlantic Ocean. Namibia is bounded on the north by Angola and Zambia, on the east by Botswana, and on the east and south by South Africa. The climate of Namibia is extremely dry and hot with sparse and erratic rainfall.

Culture and Economy of Namibia:
Namibia culture has been influenced by the culture of the occupying power at a particular time in history. The native culture of Namibia is tribal in nature. The glimpses of tribal culture can be seen in the interior of the country. The mix cultural glimpses of colonial power can be seen in the metros of Namibia. The traditional ethics, beliefs and practices are still popular in many parts of country. The traditional rituals of nature power can be seen in the rural areas while in the urban area Christianity is followed and practiced by majority.

The economy of Namibia is primarily based on the mining and manufacturing sectors. These two sectors contribute most of the Namibia’s gross domestic product. Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth largest producer of uranium. There has been significant investment in uranium mining and Namibia is set to become the largest exporter of uranium by 2015. The Namibia has vast deposits of fine quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten.

Tourist Attractions of Namibia:
Namibia is often referred as desert country, which offers contrasting landscapes. The thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains of the central plateau gives majestic views of wild life nestled by nature. Etosha National Park, the third largest in Africa comprises of exceptional landscapes of Etosha Pan. Its shallow depressions give awesome view of nature’s beauty and remain a much-visited place for adventure games. Another world famous attraction is Skeleton Coast, which is famous for its mysterious changing colours due to the dense coastal fog and cold sea breezes.

Major Sight-seeing Places in Namibia include:

· Daan Viljoen Game Reserve
· Spitskoppe
· Fish River Canyon
· Opuwo & Kaokoland
· Waterberg Plateau Park