NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Namibia
former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa 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 was soon named 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. Independence came in 1990. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
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Geographic coordinates:
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22 00 S, 17 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 825,418 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
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Coastline:
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1,572 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
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Terrain:
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mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
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Natural resources:
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diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.01% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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70 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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prolonged periods of drought |
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Environment - current issues:
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very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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1,820,916
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 42.6% (male 392,706; female 382,690)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 490,151; female 488,052) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 29,345; female 37,972) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.19% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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34.17 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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22.28 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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72.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 38.97 years
female: 37.07 years (2002 est.) male: 40.81 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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19.54% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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160,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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18,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% |
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Religions:
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Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% |
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Languages:
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English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38% male: 45% female: 31% (1960 est.) |