Namibia - general country info.
Geography
The Republic of Namibia is situated in the west of southern Africa,
between Angola, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa, with a total area of 824,292 km².
The thirteen administrative regions are Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Okavango, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa.
Besides the capital city Windhoek in the centre of the country, other important
cities are the ports of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, as well as Oshakati, Grootfontein, Tsumeb,
Keetmanshoop and Rundu. The Namibian landscape consists primarily of central highlands, of which the highest point is the Konigstein at 2,606 metres.
Population and languages
With 2 million inhabitants, Namibia one is the least densely populated
countries in the world (2.5 persons per km²). About half of the population
is of the Ovambo tribe and concentrated in the north of the country.
Other principal groups are the Damara, Herero, Okavango, Nama, East Caprivian, Bushmen, Rehoboth Baster, Kaokovelder and Tswana.
Whites make up about 12% of the population. The official language in
Namibia is English. Other main languages are Afrikaans, German, Oshiwambo (Ovambo)
and Herero.
Currency
The national currency is the Namibian Dollar. Exchanging money is
possible in banks in all major cities. The Namibian Dollar is pegged with the South African Rand.
Religion
Mostly Christians of the Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican and Dutch Reformed Churches which combined account for 90% of the population. The remainder follow
mostly local native tribal beliefs.
Economy
GDP: US$5.5 billion (2004).
Much of the Namibian economy is dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of the GDP.
Namibia's main trading partners are South Africa, Germany, Spain, Japan,
the USA and the UK. The main export products uranium, diamonds, beef, cattle,
copper, fish, lead, sheeps, zinc, tin and silver. The main imports are
foodstuffs, construction material and manufactured goods.
Airports
The main airport is Hosea Kutako International Airport (40km from Windhoek).
The flying time is about 11 hours from a European airport to Windhoek.
Secondary airports are Eros, Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Ondangwa, Walvis Bay,
Lüderitz and Keetmanshoop. There are also over 300 known airfields, of which only 16 are licensed.
Climate
The north has a tropical climate, the south is subtropical. The
climate is characterized by hot and dry conditions.
Namibia's climate is typical of semi-desert terrain, hot days and cool nights.
The temperature in the coastal regions are heavily affected by the cold
Benguela current. Summer is from October to April, with average daily temperatures range from 20 to 34º C. Winter is from May to September with wonderful warm days which are contrasted by cold nights.
Namibia enjoys an average of 300 sunny days a year. Humidity is
generally very low in most parts of the country.
Average temperatures
| |
min |
max |
min |
max |
min |
max |
min |
max |
| °C |
Windhoek |
Swakopmund |
Katima Mulilo |
Grootfontein |
| Jan |
17 |
29 |
15 |
23 |
25 |
32 |
25 |
31 |
| Feb |
16 |
28 |
16 |
23 |
27 |
30 |
24 |
30 |
| Mar |
15 |
27 |
15 |
23 |
22 |
28 |
23 |
29 |
| Apr |
13 |
25 |
13 |
24 |
19 |
27 |
22 |
28 |
| May |
9 |
22 |
11 |
23 |
16 |
25 |
20 |
26 |
| Jun |
7 |
20 |
9 |
23 |
15 |
24 |
17 |
24 |
| Jul |
6 |
20 |
8 |
21 |
16 |
26 |
17 |
24 |
| Aug |
8 |
23 |
8 |
20 |
22 |
32 |
19 |
26 |
| Sep |
12 |
25 |
9 |
19 |
23 |
33 |
23 |
31 |
| Oct |
15 |
29 |
11 |
19 |
25 |
32 |
25 |
32 |
| Nov |
15 |
29 |
12 |
22 |
24 |
30 |
25 |
32 |
| Dec |
17 |
30 |
14 |
23 |
24 |
29 |
25 |
31 |
Time zone
The time zone in whole Namibia is GMT +2, in summer GMT +1.
Facts and figures
- 5,450 km tarred roads
- 37,000 km gravel roads
- Main harbours: Walvis Bay and Lüderitz
- Rail Network: 2,382 narrow gauge
- 6.2 telephone lines per 100 inhabitants
- Direct dialing facilities to 221 countries
- Mobile communication system: GSM
