Namibia in facts and figures
The Background:
South West Africa, long before it was known as Namibia became a German colony in 1884 until South Africa occupied it during World War I and administered it as a League of Nations mandate. After World War II, South Africa annexed the South West Africa territory. It was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan. Namibia became independent on 21 March in 1990, and has been governed by South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) since. Hifikepunye Pohamba is the country’s President, serving a second five-year term after he was elected in November 2004, to replace Sam Nujoma.
Country name: Conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
Conventional short form:
Namibia
Former: Deutsche Südwest Afrika (German Southwest Africa), South-West Africa
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the south Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
Capital: Windhoek
Area:
Total- 824,292 square kilometres
Land: 823,290 sq km Water: 1,002 sq km
Land Boundaries:
Total: 3,936 km
Border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline: 1,572 km
Climate:
Current Weather - desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain:
Mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean - zero metres
Highest point:
Konigstein peak (situated north-central in the Namib Desert) 2,606 metres
Natural resources:
Diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish.
Irrigated land:
80 square kilometres
Natural Hazard:
Prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues:
Limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas
Geography - note:
First country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14 percent of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip
Population:
2,128,471(July 2010 estimates)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.1 percent (male 376,775/female 369,926)
15-64 years: 60.9 percent (male 656,822/female 639,692)
65 years and over: four percent (male 37,871/female 47,385) (2010 est.)
Urbanization:
Urban population: 37 percent of total population (2008)
Rate of urbanization:
2.9 percent annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Median age:
Total: 21.4 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 21.4 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.909 percent (2010 est.)
Death rate:
12.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Total: 45.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male:
48.89 deaths/1,000 live births female:
42.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 51.95 years
male: 52.25 years
female: 51.64 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.57 children born/woman (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
15.3% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200,000 (2007 est.)
Ethnic groups:
Black 87.5 percent, white six percent, mixed 6.5 percent
Note: about 50 percent of the population belong to the Owambo tribe and nine to the Kavango tribes; other ethnic groups include Herero seven percent, Damara seven percent, Nama five percent, Caprivi tribes four percent, Bushmen three percent, Baster two percent, Tswana 0.5 percent
Religions:
Christian 80 to 90 percent (Lutheran 50 percent at least), indigenous beliefs 10 to 20 percent
Languages: English seven percent (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60 percent of the white population, German 32 percent, indigenous languages one percent (includes oshiWambo, Herero and Nama/Damara)
Literacy:
Definition: age 15 and over who can read and write
total population: 85 percent male: 86.8 percent
female: 83.5 percent (2001 census)
Government
Government type:
Republic
Administrative divisions:
13 regions - Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Kavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa
Independence: 21 March 1990
Constitution:
Ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990
Legal system: Based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Chief of state: President Hifikepunye Pohamba (since 21 March 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nahas Angula (since 21 March 2005)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly and National Council
Elections: President elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two terms only); election last held on 27-28 November 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA re-elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye Pohamba 76.4 percent, Hidipo Hamutenya 11 percent, Katuutire Kaura three percent, Kuaima Riruako 2.9 percent, Justus GAROEB 2.4 percent, Ignatius Shixwameni 1.3 percent, Hendrick Mudge 1.2 percent, others 1.3 percent
Legislative branch:
Bicameral legislature consists of the National Council, primarily a review and advisory body, (26 seats; two members chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members elected by popular vote on a party list to serve five-year terms)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties and leaders: All People's Party or APP [Ignatius Shixwameni]; Congress of Democrats or COD [Benjamin ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire Kaura]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie Viljoen]; National Democratic Movement for Change or NDMC; National Unity Democratic Organisation or NUDO [Kuaima Riruako]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Hidipo Hamutenya]; Republican Party or RP [Hendrick Mudge]; South West Africa National Union or SWANU [Usutuaije Maamberua]; South West Africa People's Organisation or SWAPO Party [Hifikepunye Pohamba]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus Garoeb]
Economy overview:
The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for eight to 10 percent of GDP, but provides more than 50 percent of foreign exchange earnings. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fourth largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about three percent of the population while about 35-40 percent of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Unemployment is 51.2 percent. Namibia imports about 50 percent of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides one of the world's most unequal income distributions, as shown by Namibia's GINI coefficient. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Until 2010, Namibia drew 40 percent of its budget revenues from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Increased payments from SACU put Namibia's budget into surplus in 2007 for the first time since independence. SACU allotments to Namibia increased in 2009, but will drop for 2010 and 2011. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-08, but growth in recent years was undercut by poor fish catches, higher costs of producing metals, and the global recession.
GDP (purchase power parity):
$13.58 billion (2009 est.)
U$13.49 billion (2008 est.)
U$13.06 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
U$9.145 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.7% (2009 est.)
3.3% (2008 est.) 5.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
U$6,400 (2009 est.)
U$6,500 (2008 est.)
U$6,300 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Agriculture: 9.6%
Industry: 34.2%
Services: 56.2% (2008 est.)
Labour force:
716,000 (2009 est.)
Labour force - by occupation:
Agriculture: 16.3%
Industry: 22.4%
Services: 61.3% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
51.2% (2008)
36.7% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
55.8%
Note: the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on U$1 per day and 55.8% live on U$2 per day (2005 est.)
Budget:
Revenues: $2.759 billion
Expenditures: $2.913 billion (2009 est.)
Public debt:
15.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
18% of GDP (2008 est.)
8.8% (2009 est.)
10.3% (2008 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
U$3.43 billion (31 December 2008)
U$4.446 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
U$967.7 million (31 December 2009)
U$618.7 million (31 December 2008) U$702 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products: Millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish
Industries:
Meatpacking, fish processing, beer, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
Industrial production growth rate:
-8.8% (2009 est.)
Oil - imports:
19,120 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Current account balance:
U$240.6 million (2009 est.)
U$178.2 million (2008 est.)
Exports: U$3.491 billion (2009 est.)
U$3.116 billion (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; beer, cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
Imports:
U$4.456 billion (2009 est.)
U$3.833 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
U$2.05 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
U$1.293 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
U$1.184 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
U$807.3 million (31 December 2008 est.)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
140,000 (2008)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.052 million (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
three
Internet hosts:
17,840 (2009)
Internet users:
113,500 (2008)
Transport
Airports:
129 (2009)
Airports - with paved runways:
Total: 21
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Total: 108
Railways:
Total: 2,629 km
Narrow gauge: 2,629 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
Total: 42,237 km
Paved: 5,406 km
Unpaved: 36,831 km (2002)
(Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Disputes
Disputes - international:
Concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Epupa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Refugees (country of origin): 4,700 (Angola) (2007)
SOURCES: The World Factbook, National Planning Commission of Namibia