Encyclopedic article on Namibia. Written from memory, after a 12 day stay in Namibia. Secondary sources not used. Facts not checked. Structure roughly based on the structure of the Wikipedia article on Namibia (which was not consulted).
The earliest inhabitants of the present day Namibia seem to have been the San people, the hunters-gatherers. Later Bantu tribes (e.g. Herero) moved in. At some point, the Nama people (from the northern Cape) moved northwards. Violent clashes with the Herero occurred.
For the Europeans, the present day Namibia was discovered by a Portuguese sailor Diego ???, in the 15th century, while he was looking for an alternative route to China/India (alternative to the Silk Road). To honor a Portuguese king, he erected a cross at Cape Cross.
In the 19th century Namibia was occupied by Germany and called Germany's South West Africa.
The local tribes, notably Herero, were opposed to the occupation and uprisings occurred. Around 1905 German forces performed a genocide of the Herero people, leaving only 1/4 of the Herero alive. In Swakopmund, there is a monument for the fallen German soldiers.
During the First World War, South Africa re-occupied Namibia from Germany, with a mandate from the League of Nations. South Africa soon introduced an apartheid similar to the one in South Africa. A resistance among local natives grew. There was also a border conflict involving Angola and the Cubans.
The present day Namibia gained independence in 1990 and was renamed Namibia.
German culture is still somewhat preserved. For example in streetnames e.g. Bismarck, Bahnhof, etc. Keiser Wilhelm was only recently renamed to Sam Nujoma. As there are many tourists from Germany, the restaurants offer German food and in the bookstores almost 50% of the books are in German.
Namibia is bordered by the Atlantic ocean (west), Angola (north), Zambia (north-east, the top of the Caprivi Strip), Botswana (east), South Africa (south).
Namibia is a large, almost rectangular chunk of land, but has a strange panhandle, the Caprivi Strip, the purpose of which is to connect Namibia to the mighty Zambezi river. Apart from Zambezi, Namibia is poor in rivers. A notable river is Oranje which runs along the border between Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. And also Swakop, at the mouth of which lies Swakopmund.
Grootfontein, Windhoek (the capital), Swakopmund, Lüderitz, Rundu, Namutoni, Halali, Okaukuejo, Kamanjab, Tsumeb.
Since independence in 1990, only one party, Swapo, has been governing. Both presidents (the ex-president Nujoma, and the current one) come originally from this party. In October 2009 new election takes place.
Sam Nujoma: ex-president, Father of the Nation. Recently called the Englishmen to be beaten with hammers (according to "The Namibian", 2009-09-25).
2 million people.
12 tribes: Owambo, Nama, Damara, San, Herero, Himba, Kavango, Tswana, Caprivians, ....
Many live in townships around bigger towns, e.g. Mondesa and D.R.C. close to Swakopmund.
Small German and Afrikaans population, who own large farms.
Herero people like to wear large Victorian dresses, mainly in green, white and red. Every year they gather dressed up in uniform color (either green, white, or red).
The Himba people wear almost nothing, but cover their body with a mixture of ochra and fat, giving it a reddish color.
Majority of the population are christian.
Official language is English. Other languages: German, Herero/Himba, San, Nama/Damara, Afrikaans. Several of the languages feature the click sounds, e.g. the San language has 12 different clicks.
Approx. 25% living with HIV (mainly in the northern part). Malaria is present only in the north (e.g. the Etosha NP).
Main income comes from uranium. Diamonds used to be the main source of income but as a result of the recession in Europe and the US, the market for diamonds has largely fallen off.
Occasional flooding in the north. Desert areas can experience no rainfall for years. In the coastal areas (e.g. Swakopmund), the temperature is defined by the Benguela current of the Atlantic making the temperature some 15 degrees colder than e.g. 20km to the east in the desert.
1 N$ = 1 R. South African Rand is a legal tender in Namibia.
The flag of Namibia depicts the Sun with 12 rays (for each tribe). The coat-of-arms features two oryxes.
Landscapes: ocean, desert (the oldest in the world), savanna, pan/vlei, sand dunes (the highest in the world), table mountains, canyons (e.g. at Fish River, the 3rd largest in the world).
80% of the land is under farms. There 8000 farmers.
Many national parks (Etosha, Sceleton Coast). Almost the whole Atlantic coastline is under various national parks.
A large chunk of land where diamonds are (were) mined is a restricted area (Sperrgebiet).
Roads in Namibia are generally good. Even if they are dirt roads (through the desert), they are flat and wide.
Air Namibia flies internally between bigger towns, but also to Frankfurt, Germany, and to some destinations in RSA and Botswana.
There is a railway system, maybe the same one that the Germans built 100 years ago.
San cave paintings in Brandberg mountains featuring animals (oryx, hyena, etc.) and people (medicine men).
Specific to Namibia are the Himba and Herero dolls. Otherwise sculpture is dominated by the standard African items: Masai figures in woodcarving, Malawi chairs, etc.
Modern music includes the rapper Gazza and his former background dancers Streetkidz.
Thomas Pynchon's books V. and Gravity's Rainbow feature Herero people (a community of ex-soldiers living in Germany).
Film: When Others Wavered. Produced in Hollywood.
Hoba meteorite (located between Grootfontein and Tsumeb) is the largest meteorite in the world.