Yearbook 2009
Namibia. Like many other commodity-rich African countries, Namibia is overseen by foreign major companies. In June, the Russian group Gazprom signed a US $ 1 billion contract with Namibian energy company Namcor to build a gas power plant designed to keep both Namibia and neighboring South Africa with electricity. Through the power plant, Gazprom gets a foothold on the potentially lucrative Kudu field in the sea with estimated reserves of 3.3 trillion cubic feet of gas. The contract was signed in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and at the same time agreements on Russian investments were also concluded in the mining and oil exploitation. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation NA which stands for the nation of Namibia.
In December, a state mining company was created to coordinate the extraction of all of Namibia’s mineral resources. According to countryaah, a deal with the state-owned Chinese company Nuctech for the delivery of X-ray equipment to the Namibian Customs led to charges of suspected bribery. Two Namibians and one Chinese were indicted but released on bail in August. The investigation continued for the rest of the year.
The general elections at the end of November resulted in expected grand victories for President Hifi kepunye Pohamba and the ruling party SWAPO (South West Africa Peoples Organization). Pohamba received 76.4 percent of the vote in the presidential election and SWAPO 74 percent in the parliamentary election.
Country data
Area: 824,290 km2 (world ranking: 33)
Residents: 2,534,000
Population density: 3 per km2 (as of 2017, world ranking: 140)
Capital: Windhoek (Windhoek)
Official languages: English
Gross domestic product: US $ 13.2 billion; Real growth: -0.8%
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 4600 US$
Currency: 1 Namibia dollar (N $) = 100 cents
Embassy
Reichsstr. 17, 14052 Berlin
Telephone 030 2540950,
Fax 030 25409555www.namibia-botschaft.de
Government
Head of State: Hage GeingobNickey Iyambo, Head of Government: Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Exterior: Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
National holiday: 21.3.
Administrative structure
14 regions
State and form of government
Constitution of 1990
Presidential republic (in the Commonwealth)
Parliament: National Assembly with 104 members (96 elected, max. 8 appointed by the President), election every 5 years; National Council with 26 members, election every 6 years.
Direct election of the head of state every 5 years (one-time re-election). Right to
vote from 18 years.
Population of: Namibians, last count 2011: 2,113,077 residents, mainly
Bantu people: 47% Ovambo, 9% Kavango, 7% Herero, 7% Damara, 5% Nama, 4% Caprivian; 6% whiteness; around 35,000 San; around 32,000 Rehoboth Basters; around 20,000 residents of German descent
Cities (with population): (as of 2011) Windhoek (Windhuk) 325,858 inh., Rundu 63,431, Walvis Bay (Walvis Bay) 62,096, Swakopmund 44,725, Oshakati 36,541, Rehoboth 28,843
Religions: 97% Christians (50% Lutherans, 20% Catholics, 27% other Christs); Minorities of Muslims, Baha’i, Jews and Buddhists; indigenous religions (as of 2006)
Languages: English; 48% Ovambo, 11% Nama / Damara, 11% Afrikaans, 10% Kavango, 8% Otiherero, Khoisan languages and others; 1% German
gainfully employed by
agricultural sector. 20%, industry 20%, business 60% (2017)
Unemployment (in% of all labor force): 2017: 23.3%
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 6.1%
Foreign trade: Import: US $ 6.4 billion (2017); Export: US $ 4.2 billion (2017)
Dictionary of History
Namibia A state in southern Africa. Originally inhabited by Khoisan groups, Namibia later saw the settlement of various communities including Nama and (Bantu-speaking) Herero, Barotse and Tswana. Reached by the Portuguese in 1486, Namibia really entered into relationship with the Europeans only starting from the seventies of the 17th century. with the explorations of Dutch merchants and settlers. Diamondiferous territory, was erected in 1884 in the colony from Germany, under the name of German Southwest Africa, but Britain retained of ‘control enclave of Walvis Bay, occupied in 1878. In their penetration the Germans met strong resistance clashing between 1904 and 1907 with herero and nama, who were almost exterminated in the punitive campaigns. In 1914-15 the colony was invaded by South Africa which in 1919 obtained it as a mandate from the League of Nations and applied racial segregation measures and therefore the apartheid system . Known an economic boom starting from the second post-war period (diamond and metal industry), the country, sparsely populated, attracted external labor, interests and investments. The 1950s and 1960s saw the growing cohesion of leaders politicians, religious and traditional leaders in various movements of emancipation of the black population and the birth of political organizations including (1960) the South West Africa people’s organization (SWAPO). Despite strong international pressure, South Africa did not respond to UN requests for the return of the mandate and maintained control of Namibia as a fundamental strategic outpost, especially towards Angola, in the midst of anti-Portuguese liberation war and, since 1975, independent. as a socialist country. The civil war that affected Angola intersected with the war that South Africa waged in Namibia against the SWAPO, which passed into the armed struggle for liberation under the leadership of Sam Nujoma. The repressive strategy and all the hypotheses of a devolution of power to the Africans on the basis of a racial system have now proved unsustainable, in 1988 South Africa started negotiations for independence. The free elections of 1989 led to SWAPO victory and Sam Nujoma was the first president of independence (1990). A model of economic and political stability in the region, Namibia has since been ruled by the SWAPO, repeatedly reconfirmed in power through elections.
Climate
Subtropical climate with dry winters and hot summers. Precipitation decreases from northeast to southwest from 553mm to 147mm. The annual mean temperatures are 20.5 ° C.