About Namibia

From the Gates of Hell to the Karoo desert

Namibia's harsh and striking environment has inspired some sobering names, such as the Gates of Hell for the Skeleton Coast. Along with a host of wildlife superstars, this is boosting ecotourism and hopefully pushing the country towards much needed economic development.

Geography & climate

Wedged between South Africa to the southeast, Botswana to the east, and Angola and Zambia to the north, Namibia is an unusual mix of endless deserts, arid coasts and vast bushlands.

There are 5 geographical areas: the Central Plateau, the Namib Desert, the Escarpment, the Bushveld, and the Kalahari Desert. Across the country - and with some exceptions - the climate is generally dry.


Nature

Parts of Namibia are covered by the Miombo Woodlands ecoregion. These unique woodlands are home to many large mammals, including elands, rhinos, and a large population of African elephants.

The Namib-Karoo-Kaokeveld deserts are a very distinctive and floristically rich desert ecoregion of Africa, with highly diverse plant communities found nowhere else. Among the mammals found here are mountain zebras, short-eared elephant shrews, and desert golden moles.

Where Namibia overlaps with the Zambezian Flooded Savannas ecoregion, many mammals move seasonally with the rise and fall of floodwaters, following the changing vegetation. Common inhabitants include the waterbuck, lechwe, hippopotamus and the sitatunga.

The Benguela Current, which flows in a north to north-westerly direction along the Namibian coast, brings cold Antarctic water into warmer subtropical regions. Coastal upwelling at the coast promotes extensive blooms of phytoplankton and rich resources of zooplankton.

These factors support some of the highest concentrations of marine life found anywhere in the world, and large populations of seabirds and marine mammals.



Population & religion

After Mongolia, Namibia is the least densely populated country in the world, with a majority of the population living in the north of the country. In addition to the black Bantu majority, there are large groups of Khoisan people (e.g. Nama and Bushmen) who originally inhabited the Southern Africa region. About 5% of the population is made up by whites of Portuguese, Dutch, German, British and French roots.

Half of all Namibians speak Oshiwambo (Ovambo) as their first language, whereas the most widely understood language is Afrikaans. For younger generations, the most widely understood language is English.

The major religion is Christianity, followed by Islam and other creeds.



Economy & development

Rich in minerals, Namibia’s economy benefits from exports of non-fuel minerals, uranium and gem-quality diamonds. The country also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. While only a small fraction of Namibia’s land is arable, about half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture).

Because of high unemployment rates, most Namibians live in poverty and the country has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world. A growing area of economic development in Namibia is the wildlife conservancies sector, which may stem rural unemployment to some extent.

Namibia’s HIV-AIDS infection rate is one of the highest in Africa and malaria is also a problem. Life expectancy at birth in 2004 was a low 47 years. However, 2004 data shows that literacy rates are a more encouraging 85% for ages 15 and older.