NAMIBIA
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 824,290 km2; land area: 823,290 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundaries: 3,935 km total; Angola 1,376 km, Botswana
1,360 km, South Africa 966 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline: 1,489 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite;
quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement;
claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands administered
by South Africa
Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin,
zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil,
natural gas, coal, and iron ore
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 64%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment: inhospitable with very limited natural water
resources; desertification
Note: Walvis Bay area is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia
PEOPLE
Population: 1,520,504 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 58 years male, 63 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Namibian(s); adjective--Namibian
Ethnic divisions: black 86%, white 6.6%, mixed 7.4%; about 50%
of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% from the Kavangos
tribe
Religion: predominantly Christian
Language: English is official language; Afrikaans is common
language of most of population and about 60% of white population, German
32%, English 7%; several indigenous languages
Literacy: 38% (male 45%, female 31%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1960)
Labor force: 500,000; agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 19%,
services 8%, government 7%, mining 6% (1981 est.)
Organized labor: 20 trade unions representing about 90,000
workers
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Republic of Namibia
Type: republic
Capital: Windhoek
Administrative divisions: the former administrative structure of
26 districts has been abolished and 14 temporary regions are still in
the process of being determined; note--the 26 districts were Bethanien,
Boesmanland, Caprivi Oos, Damaraland, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Hereroland
Oos, Hereroland Wes, Kaokoland, Karasburg, Karibib, Kavango,
Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Maltahohe, Mariental, Namaland, Okahandja,
Omaruru, Otjiwarongo, Outjo, Owambo, Rehoboth, Swakopmund, Tsumeb,
Windhoek
Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March 1990
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral; House of Review (upper house,
to be established with elections in 1992 by planned new regional
authorities); National Assembly (lower house elected by universal
suffrage)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Sam NUJOMA
(since 21 March 1990)
Political parties and leaders: South-West Africa People's
Organization (SWAPO), Sam NUJOMA;
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), Dirk MUDGE;
United Democratic Front (UDF), Justus GAROEB;
Action Christian National (ACN), Kosie PRETORIUS;
National Patriotic Front (NPF), Moses KATJIUONGUA;
Federal Convention of Namibia (FCN), Hans DIERGAARDT;
Namibia National Front (NNF), Vekuii RUKORO
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 16 February 1990 (next to be
held March 1995); Sam NUJOMA was elected president by the Constituent
Assembly (now the National Assembly);
National Assembly--last held on 7-11 November 1989
(next to be held by November 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(72 total) SWAPO 41, DTA 21, UDF 4, ACN 3, NNF 1, FCN 1, NPF 1
Communists: no Communist party
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: C, ECA (associate), FAO, FLS, IAEA, IBRD,
ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, WCL, WFTU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tuliameni KALOMOH;
Chancery at 1413 K Street NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
(mailing address is PO Box 34738, Washington DC 20043);
telephone (202) 289-3871;
US--Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES; Embassy at Ausplan Building,
14 Lossen St., Windhoek (mailing address is P. O. Box 9890, Windhoek
9000, Namibia); telephone 264 (61) 221-601, 222-675, 222-680
Flag: a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the
upper left section, and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower
right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe which is
contrasted by two narrow white edge borders
ECONOMY
Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry
to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost
30% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in
Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Alluvial
diamond deposits are among the richest in the world, making Namibia a
primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large
quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten, and it has
substantial resources of coal. More than half the population depends
on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood.
GNP: $1.8 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate - 2.0%
(1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (1989)
Unemployment rate: over 30% (1990)
Budget: revenues $794.1 million; expenditures $999.6 million,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Exports: $1,021 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--uranium, diamonds, zinc, copper, cattle, processed
fish, karakul skins;
partners--Switzerland, South Africa, FRG, Japan
Imports: $894 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and
equipment;
partners--South Africa, FRG, US, Switzerland
External debt: about $27 million at independence; under a 1971
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Namibia may not be
liable for debt incurred during its colonial period
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 486,000 kW capacity; 1,280 million kWh produced,
930 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining
(copper, lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)
Agriculture: mostly subsistence farming; livestock raising major
source of cash income; crops--millet, sorghum, peanuts; fish catch
potential of over 1 million metric tons not being fulfilled, 1987 catch
reaching only 520,000 metric tons; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-87), $47.2 million
Currency: South African rand (plural--rand);
1 South African rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: South African rand (R) per US$1--2.625 (January
1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685
(1986), 2.1911 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 2,341 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 54,500 km; 4,079 km paved, 2,540 km gravel, 47,881 km
earth roads and tracks
Ports: Luderitz; primary maritime outlet is Walvis Bay (South
Africa)
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 143 total, 123 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 67 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good urban, fair rural services; radio relay
connects major towns, wires extend to other population centers; 62,800
telephones; stations--2 AM, 40 FM, 3 TV
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: National Defense Force (Army), Police
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 309,978; 183,730 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $NA, 4.9% of GNP (1986)