1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Coastline
1,489 km
Comparative area
slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Disputes
short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite; quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa
Environment
inhospitable with very limited natural water resources; desertification
Land boundaries
3,935 km total; Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 966 km, Zambia 233 km
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 64%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and iron ore
Note
Walvis Bay area is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia
Terrain
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Total area
824,290 km2; land area: 823,290 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
45 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
black 86%, white 6.6%, mixed 7.4%; about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% from the Kavangos tribe
Infant mortality rate
69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
500,000; agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 19%, services 8%, government 7%, mining 6% (1981 est.)
Language
English is official language; Afrikaans is common language of most of population and about 60% of white population, German 32%, English 7%; several indigenous languages
Life expectancy at birth
58 years male, 63 years female (1991)
Literacy
38% (male 45%, female 31%) age 15 and over can read and write (1960)
Nationality
noun--Namibian(s); adjective--Namibian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
20 trade unions representing about 90,000 workers
Population
1,520,504 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
Religion
predominantly Christian
Total fertility rate
6.6 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
the former administrative structure of 26 districts has been abolished and 14 temporary regions are still in the process of being determined; note--the 26 districts were Bethanien, Boesmanland, Caprivi Oos, Damaraland, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Hereroland Oos, Hereroland Wes, Kaokoland, Karasburg, Karibib, Kavango, Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Maltahohe, Mariental, Namaland, Okahandja, Omaruru, Otjiwarongo, Outjo, Owambo, Rehoboth, Swakopmund, Tsumeb, Windhoek
Capital
Windhoek
Communists
no Communist party
Constitution
ratified 9 February 1990
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Tuliameni KALOMOH; Chancery at 1413 K Street NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (mailing address is PO Box 34738, Washington DC 20043); telephone (202) 289-3871; US--Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES; Embassy at Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen St., Windhoek (mailing address is P. O. Box 9890, Windhoek 9000, Namibia); telephone [264] (61) 221-601, 222-675, 222-680
Elections
President--last held 16 February 1990 (next to be held March 1995); Sam NUJOMA was elected president by the Constituent Assembly (now the National Assembly); National Assembly--last held on 7-11 November 1989 (next to be held by November 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(72 total) SWAPO 41, DTA 21, UDF 4, ACN 3, NNF 1, FCN 1, NPF 1
Executive branch
president, Cabinet
Flag
a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section, and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe which is contrasted by two narrow white edge borders
Independence
21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Sam NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990)
Legal system
based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
Legislative branch
bicameral; House of Review (upper house, to be established with elections in 1992 by planned new regional authorities); National Assembly (lower house elected by universal suffrage)
Long-form name
Republic of Namibia
Member of
C, ECA (associate), FAO, FLS, IAEA, IBRD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, WCL, WFTU, WHO
National holiday
Independence Day, 21 March 1990
Other political or pressure groups
NA
Political parties and leaders
South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Sam NUJOMA; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), Dirk MUDGE; United Democratic Front (UDF), Justus GAROEB; Action Christian National (ACN), Kosie PRETORIUS; National Patriotic Front (NPF), Moses KATJIUONGUA; Federal Convention of Namibia (FCN), Hans DIERGAARDT; Namibia National Front (NNF), Vekuii RUKORO
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
mostly subsistence farming; livestock raising major source of cash income; crops--millet, sorghum, peanuts; fish catch potential of over 1 million metric tons not being fulfilled, 1987 catch reaching only 520,000 metric tons; not self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues $794.1 million; expenditures $999.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
Currency
South African rand (plural--rand); 1 South African rand (R) = 100 cents
Economic aid
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $47.2 million
Electricity
486,000 kW capacity; 1,280 million kWh produced, 930 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
South African rand (R) per US$1--2.625 (January 1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)
Exports
$1,021 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--uranium, diamonds, zinc, copper, cattle, processed fish, karakul skins; partners--Switzerland, South Africa, FRG, Japan
External debt
about $27 million at independence; under a 1971 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Namibia may not be liable for debt incurred during its colonial period
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GNP
$1.8 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate - 2.0% (1990 est.)
Imports
$894 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment; partners--South Africa, FRG, US, Switzerland
Industrial production
growth rate NA%
Industries
meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining (copper, lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
15.1% (1989)
Overview
The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost 30% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Alluvial diamond deposits are among the richest in the world, making Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten, and it has substantial resources of coal. More than half the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood.
Unemployment rate
over 30% (1990)
Communications
Airports
143 total, 123 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 67 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Highways
54,500 km; 4,079 km paved, 2,540 km gravel, 47,881 km earth roads and tracks
Ports
Luderitz; primary maritime outlet is Walvis Bay (South Africa)
Railroads
2,341 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track
Telecommunications
good urban, fair rural services; radio relay connects major towns, wires extend to other population centers; 62,800 telephones; stations--2 AM, 40 FM, 3 TV
Military and Security
Branches
National Defense Force (Army), Police
Defense expenditures
$NA, 4.9% of GNP (1986) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 309,978; 183,730 fit for military service