Country Facts - Namibia

The People

Ethnic Composition

African (black)	87.5%
European (white)	6%
Mixed race	6.5%

Religious Composition

Christian	80-90%
Indigenous beliefs	10-20%

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%

Nationality

Namibian(s)

Languages Spoken

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

Education and Literacy

Namibia's overall adult literacy is around 38 percent. Among males it is 45 percent and females 31 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 500,000

By occupation:

Agriculture	47%
Industry	20%
Services	33%

Geography

Land Mass Total

318,695 sq mi (825,418 sq km)

Land

318,695 sq mi (825,418 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 2,445 mi (3,936 km)
Border countries: Angola 855 mi (1,376 km), Botswana 845 mi (1,360 km), South Africa 600 mi (967 km), Zambia 144 mi (233 km)

Coastline

976 mi (1,572 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic.

Terrain

Mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Atlantic Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Konigstein 8,549 ft (2,606 m)

Natural Resources

Diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish.
Note: Suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore.

Land use

Arable land	1%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	99%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Prolonged periods of drought.

Environment - current issues

Very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas.

Geography Note

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.

Demographics

Population

1,820,916 (2002)
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.

Age structure

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)

Growth Rate

1.19% (2002)

Life Expectancy

38.97 years (2002)
female: 37.07 years
male: 40.81 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$4,500 (2001)

Infant Mortality

72.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

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)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. Namibia, however, must import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment...

Unemployment

30% to 40%, including underemployment (1997).

Inflation Rate

8.8% (2001)

Industries

Meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper).

Exports

US$1.58 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$1.71 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
$8.1 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998)

Top Import Partners

UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998)

Top Exports

Diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins.

Top Imports

Foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals.

Debt - external

US$217 million (2000)

Economic aid

US$127 million (1998)

Fiscal Year:

April 1 to March 31

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Retail	9a.m. to 5p.m. Stores remain open between 5p.m. and 8p.m. on the first Friday of each month.	Saturday 9a.m. to 1p.m. Some larger supermarkets open on Sunday.
Banks	9a.m. to 3:30p.m.	Saturday 8:30a.m. to 11a.m.
Government	8a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Independence Day	March 21	March 21	March 21
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	March 25
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Freedom Day	March 31	March 31	March 31
Easter Monday	April 1	April 21	April 12
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Cassinga Day	May 4	May 4	May 4
Ascension²	May 29	May 20	May 6
Africa Day	May 25	May 25	May 25
Heroes' Day	August 26	August 26	August 26
Day of Goodwill	October 7	October 7	October 7
International Human Rights Day	December 10	December 10	December 10
Christmas Day³	December 25	December 25	December 25
Family Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	The feast of Ascension takes place 40 days after Easter in both the Christian and Orthodox faiths and celebrates the ascent of Christ into Heaven.
³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press