Namibia

Location

• Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
• the Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Windhoek	386,219	Capital
Rundu	75,180
Walvis Bay	73,598
Swakopmund	53,009
Oshakati	43,309
Rehoboth	34,185
Katima Mulilo	33,615
Otjiwarongo	33,481
Ondangwa	27,049
Okahandja	26,832

Size

• 318,694 square miles
• 825,418 square kilometers
• almost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska

History

Various ethnic groups occupied southwestern Africa prior to Germany establishing a colony over most of the territory in 1884. South Africa occupied the colony, then known as German South West Africa, in 1915 during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966, the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia gained independence in 1990, and SWAPO has governed it since, although the party has dropped much of its Marxist ideology. President Hage GEINGOB was elected in 2014 in a landslide victory, replacing Hifikepunye POHAMBA, who stepped down after serving two terms. SWAPO retained its parliamentary super majority in the 2014 elections. In 2019 elections, GEINGOB was reelected but by a substantially reduced majority, and SWAPO narrowly lost its super majority in parliament.

Climate

desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain

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

Languages

Oshiwambo languages 49.7%, Nama/Damara 11%, Kavango languages 10.4%, Afrikaans 9.4%, Herero languages 9.2%, Zambezi languages 4.9%, English (official) 2.3%, other African languages 1.5%, other European languages 0.7%, other 1% (2016 est.)note: Namibia has 13 recognized national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages and 3 European languages

Religions

Christian 97.5%, other 0.6% (includes Muslim, Baha'i, Jewish, Buddhist), unaffiliated 1.9% (2020 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: adopted 9 February 1990, entered into force 21 March 1990amendment process: passage requires 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of uncodified civil law based on Roman-Dutch law and customary law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Netumbo Nandi-NDAITWAH (since 21 March 2025)head of government: President Netumbo Nandi-NDAITWAH (since 21 March 2025)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assemblyelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: 27 November 2024election results: 2024: Netumbo Nandi-NDAITWAH elected president in the first round; percent of vote -Netumbo Nandi-NDAITWAH (SWAPO) 57%, Panduleni  ITULA (IPC) 26%, McHenry VENAANI (PDM) 5.10%, Bernadus SWARTBOOI (LPM) 4.72%, Job AMUPANDA (AR) 1.80%, Hendrik GAOBEAB (UDF) 1.16%; other 3.31%2019: Hage GEINGOB reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Hage GEINGOB (SWAPO) 56.3%, Panduleni ITULA (independent) 29.4%, McHenry VENAANI (PDM) 5.3%, other .9%expected date of next election: November 2029note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): 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 on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission; judges serve until age 65, but terms can be extended by the president until age 70subordinate courts: High Court; Electoral Court, Labor Court; regional and district magistrates' courts; community courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper middle-income, export-driven Sub-Saharan economy; natural resource rich; Walvis Bay port expansion for trade; high potential for renewable power generation and energy independence; major nature-based tourist locale; natural resource rich; shortage of skilled labor
• Budget: revenues: $4.415 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $4.779 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fishnote: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
• Industries: mining, tourism, fishing, agriculture
• Agricultural Products: root vegetables, milk, maize, beef, grapes, onions, wheat, fruits, pulses, vegetables (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 47.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 1% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 46.2% (2022 est.)forest: 7.9% (2022 est.)other: 45% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, copper ore, ships, electricity, trucks (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: South Africa 36%, China 9%, India 7%, UAE 4%, USA 3% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, diamonds, radioactive chemicals, fish, refined petroleum (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: South Africa 27%, China 12%, Botswana 8%, Belgium 7%, France 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports