Welcome to Namibia

General

Namibia is, especially for Europeans, quite a large country (4 times as big as the UK) with only 1,8 million people. It is situated on the southwest coast of Africa and has a nice, warm and dry climate with more than 300 sunny days a year.

The country is extremely diverse: untouched National Parks, neverending deserts and plains, sandy beaches for miles, but also mountains and plateau’s such as the Waterberg plateau and wetlands with their rivers and swamps. Big herds of kudu’s and other antilope live in these areas, but also zebra’s, (desert) elephants, hippo’s and many birds (630 different species) can be found in Namibia. Moreover, many other kinds of animals live on the grassy plains, like predators such as lions, cheetah’s, hyenas and leopards. In the coastal area, seals, penguins, pelicans and dolphins can be found.The friendly indigenous people with their traditional habits and culture live a peaceful life in the stable and secure country of Namibia.

History

The first people that lived in the area currently known as Namibia were most probably the San or Bushmen people. In later stage local tribes as the Nama and the Damara people came to this region, followed by the Ovambo and the Herero people. For many years, Namibia was neglected by the European explorers as the coast and the dry and rocky desert were difficult barriers. Only in the 15^e century Portuguese explorers arrived at the coastal area. From then on, it was neglected again and only in 19^e century the first European missionaries founded themselves here, not much later becoming a British colony. In 1883 a German Lord bought large pieces of land and not much later it became a German protectorate named SüdWest Africa. In this period, many wars and fights took place with and between the local tribes and with the South-African “Boers”, who took control around 1920 and introduced the apartheid regime in 1980. After a fight for freedom initiated by the SWAPO, the State of Independency was announced only in 1990 and from that time the democratic republic of Namibia was a fact.

Geography

Namibia is an arid country with significant geographical differences. The country can be divided roughly into 4 geographical areas: the Namib Desert including the coastal plains, the central plateau, the Kalahari sands and the densely vegetated bush field of the Kavango and the Caprivi.

The Namib Desert is at least 80 million years old and includes the whole area along the Atlantic coast. It consists of rocky plateaus and world’s highest red sand dunes, where many plants and animals live that are unique for this area, and which are adapted completely to the related climate.

Travelling north, the greener the vegetation gets. To the east, one will find huge mountains, after which the Kalahari starts, which continues to deep into Botswana. The characteristics of the Caprivi are the famous wetlands: rivers and swamps and rich vegetation. Here many birds, hippos and crocodiles are common.

 People

The population in Namibia is sparse with less than 2 people per km².
The Owambo is the biggest group and lives in central-north of Namibia. They practice a mixed economy of agriculture and animal husbandry, dressmaking, woodcarving, pottery and basketry.

The Kavango people live along the 400 kilometer long rivier (Okavango) at the border with Angola, making their living from fishing, tending cattle and cultivating sorghum, millet and maize.
In the Caprivi area live the Caprivians and in the region of Omaheke the Herero are present, a proud tribe of which the women are still wearing colourful Victorian dresses. An ancient tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists, the Himba live in scattered settlements throughout the Kunene region. The women are noted for their unusual sculptural beauty, enhanced by intricate hairstyles and traditional adornments.

The Damara, one of the oldest cultural groups in the country, living in the Erongo region. They cultivate corn and vegetables, while livestock production has also become an important source of income. In 1868 the Basters moved to Namibia from the Cape, where they finally settled at the hot-water springs called Rehoboth.

The Bushmen or San people, hunter-gatherers, occupy the remote areas in eastern Namibia and Kalahari. They are great storytellers, and express themselves eloquently in music, mimicry and dance.

Roughly 100,000 White Namibians of European descent currently live in Namibia.

Currency

The currency of Namibia is the Namibian Dollar (N$), which is related to the South-African Rand (exchange rate 1:1). Also Rands can be used for payment. One N$ is divided into 100 dollar cents. Currently the exchange rate of 1 Euro is about N$ 9 (July 2006). This makes daily life for European standards quite cheap. For comparison: a loaf of bread is about N$ 4, a pint of draft beer is about N$ 10 and one litre of fuel costs about N$ 6 (prices July 2006).

Flora and Fauna

The diversity of the flora and fauna in Namibia is overwhelming.

Most of the animals live in the National Parks, like Etosha, Khaudum, Mudumu, Mamili and Hardap Dam. But also in “the wild” there are plenty of animals (especially in the north), such as (desert) elephants, rhino’s, lions, giraffes, zebra’s, antelopes, hyena’s, cheetah’s and leopards. More than 600 bird species exist in Namibia, in many different colours and shapes, but also a lot of smaller mammals, insects and reptiles can be found. There are also many different kinds of plants and flowers, from the special quiver trees to huge cactuses and palm trees.

Language

The official language spoken is English, which is used for all official papers, documents and traffic signs for example. But also Afrikaans and German is widely spoken. Moreover, the local people and tribes do have their own local language as well, of which the click-language of the San people is totally incomprhensible for western people.

Visa

If you are a citizen of the following countries: NL, BE, UK, AU, DE, FR, IT, LUX, ES, CH, USA, then you do not require a specific visa. You should be in possession of a valid passport, good for a period of at least six months, after intended date of departure from Namibia.

Health

Medical services in Namibia are of very high standards, especially that of private clinics and doctors. However, the availability of most services is restricted to the main towns. Clean needles are available and all blood products are screened for transmittable diseases including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. The north of Namibia (including Etosha) is a malaria-endemic area.

Economy

Namibia’s economy is driven by mining (diamants and uranium), cattle and sheepherding and fishing. But also tourism is getting a more important source of income. By African standards, Namibia is already a prosperous country, although it sometimes also suffers from shortages, especially in periods of drought. The GDP is twice the African average. Over 80% of the country’s food and manufactured goods must be imported, mainly from South-Africa. The annual average income per capita is about US$ 2000 (source: 1999).

Politics

Since 1990 Namibia is completely independent and currently the social SWAPO party is leading the government. The president is the head of the democratic government and periodic elections are taking place. The country is divided into 13 separate political regions. Freedom of speech is one of the most important pillars nowadays. The general political situation in Namibia can be descripted as stable.