year=1992&name=Namibia - Gheos Worldguide

Statistics Namibia

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Namibia in the World

Namibia - Introduction 1992

Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of Sud-West Afrika 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.

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 824,290 km²
Land: 823,290 km²
Comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries:

3,935 km total; Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km,
South Africa 966 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline: 1,489 km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes:

short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite; disputed island with Botswana in the Chobe River; quadripoint with Botswana,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa; Namibia and South Africa have agreed to jointly administer the area for an interim period; the terms and dates to be covered by joint administration arrangements have not been established at this time, and Namibia will continue to maintain a claim to sovereignty over the entire area; recent dispute with Botswana over uninhabited Sidudu Island in the Linyanti River

Maritime claims

Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

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

Elevation

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and iron ore

Land use: arable land: 1%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 64%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Namibia - People 1992

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Population: 1,574,927 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Namibian(s; adjective - Namibian

Ethnic groups: black 86%, white 6.6%, mixed 7.4%; about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% from the Kavangos tribe

Languages: 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

Religions: predominantly Christian

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 45 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inhospitable with very limited natural water resources; desertification
Current issues note: Walvis Bay area is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 58 years male, 63 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hivaids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 38% (male 45%, female 31%) age 15 and over can read and write (1960)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Namibia - Government 1992

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Namibia

Government type: republic

Capital: Windhoek

Administrative divisions:

the former administrative structure of 26 districts has been abolished and 14 temporary regions are still 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
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

President: last held 16 February 1990 (next to be held March 1995); results - Sam NUJOMA was elected president by the Constituent Assembly (now the National Assembly)

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral; House of Review (upper house, to be established with elections in late 1992 by planned new regional authorities; National Assembly (lower house elected by universal suffrage)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, CECA (associate), ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
WCL, WFTU, WHO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tuliameni KALOMOH; Chancery at 1605 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20,009 (mailing address is PO Box 34,738, Washington, DC 20,043); telephone (202) 986-0540
US:

Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES; Embassy at Ausplan Building, 14
Lossen St., Windhoek (mailing address is P. O. Box 9,890, Windhoek 9,000,
Namibia); telephone 264 (61) 221-601, 222-675, 222-680; FAX 264 (61) 229-792

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

: 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 that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Namibia - Economy 1992

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Economy overview:

The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost 25% 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.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $2 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 5.1% (1991 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: 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, 1988 catch reaching only 384,000 metric tons; not self-sufficient in food

Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining (copper, lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)

Industrial production growth rate:

growth rate - 6% (1990 est.); accounts for 35% of
GDP, including mining

Labor force: 500,000; agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 19%, services 8%, government 7%, mining 6% (1981 est.)
Organized labor: 20 trade unions representing about 90,000 workers

Unemployment rate: over 25% (1991)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $864 million; expenditures $1,112 million, including capital expenditures of $144 million (FY 92)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1,021 million (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodoties: uranium, diamonds, zinc, copper, cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
Partners: Switzerland, South Africa, FRG, Japan

Imports: $894 million (f.o.b., 1989)
Commodoties: foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment
Partners: South Africa, FRG, US, Switzerland

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: South African rand (R) per US$1 - 2.8809 (March 1992), 2.7653 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986)

Namibia - Energy 1992

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Electricity
Production: 490,000 kW capacity; 1,290 million kWh produced, 850 kWh per capita (1991)

Coal

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita

Namibia - Communication 1992

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