Namibia General Information

Overview Namibia is a country of extremes. It features a brutally hot climate, arid grasslands and barren red-sand deserts and is like no other part of Africa. It’s also a country of compelling beauty and wide horizons that offer a feeling of unconfined space, making this a hugely attractive travel destination. Namibia is one of the driest regions in Africa and gets very little rain. The country is dominated by the brooding and desolate Namib Desert. The Namib has the highest sand dunes in the world. They march determinedly towards the sea in a dune field 300km wide. A Namibia must-do is to climb a dune at Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft National Park, the fourth largest national park in the world. The Namib is said to be the oldest desert in the world, based on the fact that the flora, fauna and insects are so adapted to their environment - more so than anywhere else on the planet. For this to be so, the evolutionary process must have started here long before it started in deserts elsewhere. In contrast, hardly anything survives on the stark and inhospitable Skeleton Coast, where both ancient and modern seafarers have met their sticky end. Seals seem to like it well enough, though, and some 100 000 make their home on the same rock at Cape Cross. Inland, Damaraland is well worth exploring for its beautiful scenery: tortured rock, open gravel plains and a possible encounter with an elusive desert elephant. Sunsets belong to Namibia. Another must-do is to watch the sun drop over the immense Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world after only the Grand Canyon. Jutting eastward into Angola, Zambia and Botswana, the finger-like Caprivi Strip is nothing like these arid landscapes. It is something of an oasis, well-watered and forested, compared to the rest of the country. The Etosha National Park is dominated by the Etosha Pan that was once filled with water 100 000 years ago. Now Etosha shimmers with mirages, yet this dry area is home to 3 000 species of birds and mammals that survive on the magical waterholes scattered throughout the park. Highlights here are watching rhino or elephant drinking at a waterhole at night, or spotting cheetah stalk through the short grass on the plains. Namibia is home to the largest population of cheetah still in existence and concerted efforts are being made to preserve the species in the wild. Originally inhabited by Bushmen, and later colonized by the Germans, now-independent Namibia retains elements of its colonial past. The German influence - their language, architecture and sense of structure - is still evident, particularly in the country's superior infrastructure. Even in its restaurants you won't have a problem finding an apple strudel or a flagon of beer. Windhoek (meaning windy corner) is the nation's modern capital. Its lacy network of small streets diffuses the gusts sweeping in off the Kalahari. But it is the coastal town of Swakopmund that is Namibia’s most atmospheric and interesting town. It’s also the location of a number of adventure activities from sandboarding to skydiving. It competes with Victoria Falls as adrenalin capital of Africa. Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Just fewer than 2 million people live in an area of approx. 824 000 sq km – that’s around two people per sq km. But the diversity of its people creates a rich blend of cultures and traditions. The awesome looking Himba in the north, with their gleaming red-ochre skin and elaborately braided hair, still live their original Stone Age existence. In Bushmanland the old hunter-gather traditions of the San, the original inhabitants of southern African, are still being preserved. Namibia is a very tourist friendly country. It boasts clean, modern cities, a fully developed infrastructure, quality hotels and restaurants and most importantly, friendly people. It is Africa for beginners, and travelling here is safe and hassle-free. Since it only gained independence in 1990, it also has one of the world’s newest tourism industries and is the first country in the world to include protection of the environment and sustainable utilisation of wildlife in its constitution.

What is Namibia's history? The first people to inhabit what is now Namibia were the San people, otherwise known as the Bushmen. They are hunter gatherers who roamed southern Africa’s plains for thousands of years. There’s still a population of around 27 000 living in Botswana and Namibia. You’re likely to see them around the northern town of Rundu, though in the modern world they are struggling to retain their traditional lifestyle. The Namas and the Damaras came from the north from the 12th century, pushing the Bushmen into the Kalahari Desert. They were followed by the Owambos and the Herero from the 14th century, and by the Ovambo in the early 19th century. Several kingdoms sprouted on both sides of the Kunene River. The first European to arrive was a Portuguese sailor, Diogo Cao, who briefly landed at Cape Cross in 1486. A few hundred years later, whilst the rest of the African continent was being carved up by the colonists, Namibia's treacherous coastline and the inhospitable Namib Desert constituted a formidable barrier. It effectively staved off potential colonisers until the mid-19th century. German missionaries arrived in the 1840s and set about building carbon-copy settlements of their towns back home and introducing other idiosyncrasies such as clothing the native people in Victorian dress. Today Herero ladies can still be seen in the villages dressed in antiquated dresses, bustles, frills and all. Meanwhile in 1878, the British annexed the natural deep harbour of Walvis Bay. The area was incorporated into the Cape of Good Hope in 1884. A German trader, Adolf Luderitz, claimed the surrounding region. Negotiations between the British and the Germans resulted in Germany controlling the whole coastal region, excluding Walvis Bay, which remained in British hands. The German protectorate of South West Africa was established 1894, after a bizarre agreement. The British allowed Germany to add the Caprivi Strip to its territories (and thus get access to the Zambezi River) in exchange for Zanzibar and Heligoland, a remote island in the North Sea. The next three decades of German rule were marked by bloody conflicts between the Europeans and the Africans, mainly the Herero. Between 1904 and 1907 around 60 000 local people were killed, many were ruthlessly driven into the Kalahari Desert to die, and Germany introduced racial segregation. In 1908 diamonds were discovered near the coast, bringing a stampede of Europeans to the newly established diamond towns such as Lüderitz, which for a few years in the 1920s was the wealthiest town in the world. After Germany's defeat in World War I, South West Africa was handed over to South Africa who ruled it until independence in 1990. For a long time South Africa saw it as the fifth and wealthiest province in their country. South Africa instituted some Apartheid-inspired laws, moved coloureds and blacks into townships and gave the arable land to the whites. After World War II the United Nations made repeated attempts to persuade South Africa to relinquish its power over the territory but South Africa refused and continued to govern it from Pretoria. Then in the early 1960s, black Namibians united under the banner of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) to fight for their independence. Over the next two decades they used guerrilla warfare against South African targets, infiltrating the territory from secret bases in Zambia and southern Angola. Throughout the 1970s and early 80s, the UN continued to pledge that South West Africa was to become an independent Namibia, reaffirmed by a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1971. SWAPO used more underground methods of demonstration. But South Africa only dug its heels in further. In 1977 South Africa adopted a new constitution that upheld apartheid policies and established 10 African homelands, tying Namibia even more closely to South Africa. Meanwhile SWAPO stepped up its guerrilla activities and managed to take control of parts of the north. Finally, after another decade or so of badgering from the UN and international community, South Africa conceded and agreed to hand over government to an independent Namibia. Elections were held in November 1989, with SWAPO led by Sam Nujoma taking 57% of the votes. Namibia achieved independence in March 1990. South Africa, however, did manage briefly to hang on to the important deepwater port of Walvis Bay. This was only yielded to Namibia in 1994. While continuing to be economically dependent on South Africa (especially for foodstuffs), Namibia is better off than many other countries in the region, particularly because of its diamond wealth. President Nujoma has remained president, but his policies have been criticized in recent years. He conveniently changed the constitution enabling him to run for a third (and possibly future fourth) term and has introduced radical land policies similar to Zimbabwe where white-owned farmland is to be reverted back to black ownership. Today Namibia is a peaceful country and its tourism industry, being only just over a decade old, is well organised and forward thinking. It’s one of the few African countries to promote eco-tourism, and there are many initiatives that both care for the environment and involve local people.

What does Namibia look like? Exposed to the mercy of the elements, the stark Namibian landscape is a memorable image for any visitor to the country, particularly for those visiting the African continent for the first time. Namibia covers 824 268 sq km and is situated on the south-western Atlantic coast. It is wedged between South Africa to the south, Angola to the north, and Botswana to the east. It also touches on Zambia where the skinny Caprivi Strip ends at the Zambezi River. The 49 000 sq km Namib-Naukluft National Park, that runs along the entire Atlantic coast, is a unique geological feature. The Namib Desert, the oldest desert on earth and the richest source of diamonds on the planet, is famous for its vast field of towering red dunes that actively march towards the sea and the eerie and barren Skeleton Coast. Inland, the fertile central plateau hosts the bulk of the country's settlements. Windhoek, the capital, and the only city of any size, is located smack in the middle of the country. In the north lies the salty Etosha Pan, and thanks to some natural and man-made waterholes this area remains sufficiently fertile to support great herds of game in the Etosha National Park. The fringes of the bone-dry Kalahari Desert touch Namibia’s eastern borders. Five rivers, the Okavango, the Mashi, the Zambezi, the Kunene and the Orange all flow along the country's perimeters, though the interior has very little permanent surface water.

What is Namibia's weather like? Namibia can be visited all year round as the climate is continually hot and dry, though the summer months of December to March can be brutal with temperatures creeping over the forties. With 300 sunny days per year, Namibia is definitely a sunny country, and the central, southern and coastal areas constitute some of the most arid landscapes south of the Sahara. Sometimes it has experienced periods of extreme dryness, such as the crippling drought of the early 1990s, and every year the desert greedily claims more of Namibia's arable land. As with all desert regions, days are hot while nights are generally cool. In winter months, particularly July, nights get very cold with frosts, so be prepared for some extreme weather. Most of the rain falls between February and March, but there’s so little it shouldn’t hamper any visit to the country. The only thing likely to happen is that the normally dry riverbeds that crisscross the dirt roads fill with water, and the game in Etosha is more dispersed, because the animals do not have to rely on the water holes. Temperatures along the coast are cooled by the cold Benguela Current. This reduces rainfall and causes the thick fog that frequently shrouds Swakopmund and the Skeleton Coast, usually dissolving around midday. Swakopmund only gets an average of 50 mm of rain a year. The town does not have any drains or infrastructure to deal with rainwater, so if it does rain heavily, it floods. What do the people speak? Namibia has an ethnically diverse population. It includes the Bantu-speaking Ovambo, Kavango, and Herero, the Damara, the San (Bushmen), and whites of South African, German and British descent. English is the official language, but most people speak Afrikaans imported from South Africa, and a few speak German. There are more than 11 indigenous languages, with the most common being Oshiwambo. About 50% or one million people in Namibia speak it. Here are a few words of both Oshiwambo and Afrikaans for you to try out. As with anywhere in Africa, the local people will be delighted that you have made the effort to learn a few words of their language. Oshiwambo • How are you (male)? - U hala po Tate? • How are you (female)? - U hala po Meme? • Good morning - Owa lala po nawa • Good afternoon - Wuhala po? • What’s up? - Ongini? • Thank you – Tangi • Please – Kwathandje • Goodbye (see you later) - Kaliipo nawa • I don’t speak your language - Iihandi popi elakalyoye Afrikaans • How are you? – Hoe gaan dit? • Very good – Baie goed • Thanks – dankie • Yes – Ja • No – Nee • Please - Asseblief • What is your name? – Wat is jou naam? • How many/much? – Hoeveel? • Where is…? - Waar is…? • Goodbye – Totsiens • Do you speak…? – Praat u…? • I only understand a little Afrikaans – Ek verstaan net ‘n bietjie Afrikaans