The Republic of Namibia
The Republic of Namibia is a vast, sparsely populated country situated along the south Atlantic coast of Africa between 17 and 29 degrees south of the Equator.
With its surface area of 824,292 km2, Namibia is the 34th largest country in the world. It stretches for about 1,300 km from south to north and varies from 480 to 930 km in width from west to east. With an extremely low population density of only 6.6 people per square mile, Namibia ranks 235th in the world (second lowest only to Mongolia). Most of the country is made up of two large desert areas, the Kalahari Desert in the East and the Namib Desert in the West. The Namib Desert contains some of the world’s largest and most awe-inspiring sand dunes, many of which reach between 500 and 900 feet in height!
Namibia, previously known as South West Africa, is bordered by South Africa in the south, Angola and Zambia in the north and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east.
The oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert stretches along the whole west coast of the country, while the Kalahari Desert runs along its southeastern border with Botswana.
The country is demarcated into 13 regions (see map), namely the Caprivi, Kavango, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions in the north, the Omaheke. Otjozondjupa, Erongo and Khomas Regions in the central areas and the Hardap and Karas regions in the south.
Namibia was inhabited by the San, Damara, and Namaqua people for thousands of years. Since the 14th century (AD) Bantu tribes settled in the area during their expansion from the center of the continent outwards. In 1884 German settlers arrived and claimed the land as a German Imperial protectorate. It remained a German colony until the end of World War I. In 920, the League of Nations mandated the area to South Africa which, in turn, became known as South-West Africa. After the National Party’s (apartheid regime) 1948 victory in South Africa apartheid laws became the policy of both nations. During this time indigenous uprisings flourished while African leaders put pressure on the United Nations to assume direct responsibility over the territory. It recognized the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) as the official representative of the Namibian people in 1973. This was in turn rejected by the South African government, which continued its policy of apartheid. SWAPO pushed back, resulting in an internal conflict that lasted until SWAPO and its allies gained full independence from South Africa in 1990. The resulting independent state became known as Namibia, deriving it new name from its iconic Namib Desert.
Namibia has maintained its role as a stable, multi-party parliamentary democracy. It enjoys a vast array of mineral wealth including diamonds, uranium, gold, silver, and other precious metals and gems. Namibia is also know for is large cattle and seafood industries, with a particular focus on it beef and some of the highest grade oysters in the world.
As in much of Southern Africa HIV and AIDS has impacted greatly on the growth, development, and overall psyche of the nation. The current HIV prevalence of 13.4% has begun to decline over the past decade, but the challenges remain great.
Roughly 90% of the country’s population identifies themselves as Christian, with a majority being members of one of three Lutheran denominations: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN), Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN), and the German speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK). The combined membership of the three churches make up a large majority of the country’s population and about half of the entire membership of the LUCSA region.
* Information on this page was taken from Government of Namibia Portal http://www.gov.na/home, the LUCSA website: www.lucsa.org, and the Wikipedia Page on Namibia
With its surface area of 824,292 km2, Namibia is the 34th largest country in the world. It stretches for about 1,300 km from south to north and varies from 480 to 930 km in width from west to east. With an extremely low population density of only 6.6 people per square mile, Namibia ranks 235th in the world (second lowest only to Mongolia). Most of the country is made up of two large desert areas, the Kalahari Desert in the East and the Namib Desert in the West. The Namib Desert contains some of the world’s largest and most awe-inspiring sand dunes, many of which reach between 500 and 900 feet in height!
Namibia, previously known as South West Africa, is bordered by South Africa in the south, Angola and Zambia in the north and Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east.
The oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert stretches along the whole west coast of the country, while the Kalahari Desert runs along its southeastern border with Botswana.
The country is demarcated into 13 regions (see map), namely the Caprivi, Kavango, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions in the north, the Omaheke. Otjozondjupa, Erongo and Khomas Regions in the central areas and the Hardap and Karas regions in the south.
Namibia was inhabited by the San, Damara, and Namaqua people for thousands of years. Since the 14th century (AD) Bantu tribes settled in the area during their expansion from the center of the continent outwards. In 1884 German settlers arrived and claimed the land as a German Imperial protectorate. It remained a German colony until the end of World War I. In 920, the League of Nations mandated the area to South Africa which, in turn, became known as South-West Africa. After the National Party’s (apartheid regime) 1948 victory in South Africa apartheid laws became the policy of both nations. During this time indigenous uprisings flourished while African leaders put pressure on the United Nations to assume direct responsibility over the territory. It recognized the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) as the official representative of the Namibian people in 1973. This was in turn rejected by the South African government, which continued its policy of apartheid. SWAPO pushed back, resulting in an internal conflict that lasted until SWAPO and its allies gained full independence from South Africa in 1990. The resulting independent state became known as Namibia, deriving it new name from its iconic Namib Desert.
Namibia has maintained its role as a stable, multi-party parliamentary democracy. It enjoys a vast array of mineral wealth including diamonds, uranium, gold, silver, and other precious metals and gems. Namibia is also know for is large cattle and seafood industries, with a particular focus on it beef and some of the highest grade oysters in the world.
As in much of Southern Africa HIV and AIDS has impacted greatly on the growth, development, and overall psyche of the nation. The current HIV prevalence of 13.4% has begun to decline over the past decade, but the challenges remain great.
Roughly 90% of the country’s population identifies themselves as Christian, with a majority being members of one of three Lutheran denominations: Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN), Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN), and the German speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK). The combined membership of the three churches make up a large majority of the country’s population and about half of the entire membership of the LUCSA region.
* Information on this page was taken from Government of Namibia Portal http://www.gov.na/home, the LUCSA website: www.lucsa.org, and the Wikipedia Page on Namibia