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COUNTRY INFO - NAMIBIA
| Area |
825,418 sq km |
| Population |
1,820,916 |
| Capital |
Windhoek |
| Official Languages |
English |
| Other Languages |
German, Afrikaans, Oshivambo, Herero,
Nama |
| Currency |
Namibian dollar (NAD); South African
rand (ZAR) |
| Population |
1.8m |
| Literacy |
38% |
| Life Expectancy |
60 years |
| Travel Options |
Taxis, Buses |
Information:
Having the world's oldest desert, the highest sand dunes,
and one of the most notorious coasts to shippers (the 'Skeleton
Coast') Namibia is one of the world's newest independent republics.
Previously known, as South West Africa, Namibia was a German
protectorate up until WW1, when it came under the administration
of South Africa. The German heritage is still very evident
in the architecture and place names (Luderitz Swakopmund)
and in the dress of the Herrero tribe womenfolk, who still
copy the dress of the German missionary's wives of the 19th
Century.
The country has large stocks of diamonds, copper, uranium,
tin, silver and other minerals, and these, plus the more traditional
stock raising and fishing underpin the economy.
Namibia appears to the visitor huge and empty. The largely
desert - like landscape offers some stunning scenery. The
Fish River Canyon in the south, Etosha National Park in the
north and the Namib - Naukluft desert in the middle are the
main points of interest.
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