Namibia

• desert;
• hot, dry;
• rainfall sparse and erratic

• mostly high plateau;
• Namib Desert along coast;
• Kalahari Desert in east

• depletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources;
• desertification;
• land degradation;
• loss of biodiversity and biotic resources;
• wildlife poaching

party to:

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• the Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world;
• Namibia is the first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution;
• some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip;
• Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 sq km), is the largest game park in Africa and one of the largest in the world

noun:

Namibian(s)

adjective:

Namibian

0-14 years:

36.54% (male 467,392 /female 458,190)

15-24 years:

20.34% (male 257,190 /female 257,984)

25-54 years:

34.74% (male 421,849 /female 458,118)

55-64 years:

4.46% (male 50,459 /female 62,478)

65 years and over:

3.93% (male 42,381 /female 57,183) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

68.1 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

62.2 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.8 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

17.1 (2015 est.)

total:

21.4 years (2018 est.)

male:

20.7 years

female:

22.2 years

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.81 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.74 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

36 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

31.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

64.4 years (2018 est.)

male:

62.7 years

female:

66.2 years

degree of risk:

high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Namibia

conventional short form:

Namibia

local long form:

Republic of Namibia

local short form:

Namibia

former:

German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Suedwestafrika), South-West Africa

etymology:

named for the coastal Namib Desert; the name "namib" means "vast place" in the Nama/Damara language

name:

Windhoek

geographic coordinates:

22 34 S, 17 05 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

etymology:

may derive from the Afrikaans word "wind-hoek" meaning "windy corner"

• 14 regions;
• Erongo, Hardap, //Karas, Kavango East, Kavango West, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Zambezi;
• note - the Karas Region was renamed //Karas in September 2013 to include the alveolar lateral click of the Khoekhoegowab language

history:

adopted 9 February 1990, entered into force 21 March 1990

amendments:

• initiated by the Cabinet;
• passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the National Assembly membership and of the National Council of Parliament and assent of the president of the republic;
• if the National Council fails to pass an amendment, the president can call for a referendum;
• passage by referendum requires two-thirds majority of votes cast;
• amendments that detract from or repeal constitutional articles on fundamental rights and freedoms cannot be amended, and the requisite majorities needed by Parliament to amend the constitution cannot be changed;
• amended 1998, 2010, 2014 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Namibia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

• President Hage GEINGOB (since 21 March 2015);
• Vice President Nangola MBUMBA (since 8 February 2018);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Hage GEINGOB (since 21 March 2015);
• Vice President Nangola MBUMBA (since 8 February 2018);
• Prime Minister Saara KUUGONGELWA-AMADHILA (since 21 March 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 27 November 2019 (next to be held on 27 November 2024)

election results:

• Hage GEINGOB elected president in the first round;
• percent of vote - Hage GEINGOB (SWAPO) 56.8%, Panduleni ITULA (Independent) 29.4%, McHenry VENAANI (PDM) 5.6%, Bernadus SWARTBOOI (LPM) 2.9%, Apius AUCHAB (UDF) 1.8%, Esther MUINJANGUE (NUDO) 1.5%, other 2%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 3 judges in quorum sessions)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges appointed by the president of Namibia upon the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission;
• judges serve until age 65, but terms can be extended by the president until age 70

subordinate courts:

• High Court;
• Electoral Court, Labor Court;
• regional and district magistrates' courts;
• community courts

• All People's Party or APP [Ignatius SHIXWAMENI]
• Christian Democratic Voice or CDV [Gothard KANDUME]
• Landless People's Movement or LPM [Bernadus SWARTBOOI]
• National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Estes MUINJANGUE]
• Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters or NEFF [Epafras MUKWIILONGO]
• Popular Democratic Movement or PDM (formerly DTA) [McHenry VENAANI]
• Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Steve BEZUIDERHOUDT (Acting)]
• Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]
• South West Africa National Union or SWANU [Tangeni IIYAMBO]
• South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Hage GEINGOB]
• United Democratic Front or UDF [Apius AUCHAB]
• United People's Movement or UPM [Jan J. VAN WYK]
• Workers' Revolutionary Party or WRP (formerly CPN) [MPs Salmon FLEERMUYS and Benson KAAPALA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Lisa A. JOHNSON (since 3 February 2018)

telephone:

[264] (061) 295-8500

embassy:

14 Lossen Street, Windhoek

mailing address:

Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek

FAX:

[264] (061) 295-8603

• a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner;
• the upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a golden-yellow, 12-rayed sunburst;
• the lower fly-side triangle is green;
• red signifies the heroism of the people and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all;
• white stands for peace, unity, tranquility, and harmony;
• blue represents the Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's precious water resources and rain;
• the golden-yellow sun denotes power and existence;
• green symbolizes vegetation and agricultural resources

name:

Namibia, Land of the Brave

lyrics/music:

Axali DOESEB

note: adopted 1991

• millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes;
• livestock;
• fish

agriculture:

31%

industry:

14%

services:

54% (2013 est.)

note: about half of Namibia's people are unemployed while about two-thirds live in rural areas; roughly two-thirds of rural dwellers rely on subsistence agriculture

lowest 10%:

2.4%

highest 10%:

42% (2010)

general assessment:

• good system;
• core fiber-optic network links most centers with digital connections;
• 3G and LTE services;
• Internet and broadband sector fairly competitive;
• infrastructure investment through 2021 (2018)

domestic:

• fixed-line still a government monopoly with plans to open to competion soon;
• multiple mobile-cellular providers;
• fixed-line subscribership of 8 per 100 and mobile-cellular 107 per 100 persons (2018)

international:

• country code - 264;
• landing points for the ACE and WACS fiber-optic submarine cable linking southern and western African countries to Europe;
• satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2019)

• 1 private and 1 state-run TV station;
• satellite and cable TV service available;
• state-run radio service broadcasts in multiple languages;
• about a dozen private radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 12 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

553,322 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

30,302,405 mt-km (2015)

total:

2,628 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

2,628 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

total:

48,875 km (2018)

paved:

7,893 km (2018)

unpaved:

40,982 km (2018)

total:

10

by type:

general cargo 1, other 9 (2018)

• concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border;
• the governments of South Africa and Namibia have not signed or ratified the text of the 1994 Surveyor's General agreement placing the boundary in the middle of the Orange River;
• Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

current situation:

• Namibia is a country of origin and destination for children and, to a lesser extent, women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• victims, lured by promises of legitimate jobs, are forced to work in urban centers and on commercial farms;
• traffickers exploit Namibian children, as well as children from Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, for forced labor in agriculture, cattle herding, domestic service, fishing, and street vending;
• children are also forced into prostitution, often catering to tourists from southern Africa and Europe;
• San and Zemba children are particularly vulnerable;
• foreign adults and Namibian adults and children are reportedly subjected to forced labor in Chinese-owned retail, construction, and fishing operations

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Namibia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• Namibia was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• in 2015, the Child Care and Protection Bill passed, criminalizing child trafficking;
• the government’s first sex trafficking prosecution remained pending;
• no new prosecutions were initiated and no trafficking offenders have ever been convicted;
• accusations of forced labor at Chinese construction and mining companies continue to go uninvestigated;
• authorities failed to fully implement victim identification and referral processes, which led to the deportation of possible victims (2015)