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Namibia

Namibia
General information
Common nameNamibia
MottoUnity, Liberty, Justice
Anthem"Namibia, Land of the Brave"
CapitalWindhoek
Largest citycapital
Official languagesEnglish
Regional languagesGerman, Rukwangali, Silozi, Setswana, Damara/Nama, Afrikaans, Herero, Oshiwambo
DemonymNamibian
Government
GovernmentPresidential republic
PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba
Prime MinisterNahas Angula
Chairperson of the National CouncilAsser Kuveri Kapere
Speaker of the National AssemblyTheo-Ben Gurirab
Chief JusticePeter Shivute
LegislatureParliament
Upper HouseNational Council
Lower HouseNational Assembly
IndependenceIndependence
from South Africa21 March 1990
Geography
Total Area318696 sq mi (825422.6 km2) (34th)
Water %Negligible
Demography
Population Est.2108665 (142nd)
Population census2088669 (2008)
Density (pop.)2.5/km2 (235th) (6.6/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPP$14.596 billion (2010)
GDP (PPP) per capita$6,952
GDP (nominal)$11.865 billion (2010)
GDP (nominal) per capita$5,651
Other information
Gini70.7 (2003) (very high) (1st)
HDI(+) 0.606 (2010) (medium) (105th)
CurrencyNamibian dollar (NAD)
Time zoneWAT (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)WAST (UTC+2)
Drives on theLeft
Internet TLD.na
Calling code+264

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Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia ( , ), is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

The dry lands of Namibia were inhabited since early times by Bushmen, Damara, and Namaqua, and since about the 14th century AD by immigrating Bantu who came with the Bantu expansion. It became a German Imperial protectorate in 1884 and remained a German colony until the end of World War I. In 1920, the League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa, which imposed its laws and, from 1948, its apartheid policy.

In 1966, uprisings and demands by African leaders led the UN 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. Namibia, however, remained under South African administration during this time. Following internal violence, South Africa installed an interim administration in Namibia in 1985. Namibia obtained full independence from South Africa in 1990, with the exception of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands, which remained under South African control until 1994.

Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people and a stable multi-party parliamentary democracy. Agriculture, herding, tourism and the mining industry � including mining for gem diamonds, uranium, gold, silver, and base metals form the backbone of Namibia's economy. After Mongolia it is the second least densely populated country in the world. Approximately half the population live below the international poverty line, and the nation has suffered heavily from the effects of HIV/AIDS, with 15% of the adult population infected with HIV in 2007.


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