Lying on Africa’s southwest coast is Namibia, one of the least densely-populated countries in the world. Most of the land is hot, dry desert and completely uninhabited. Running down Namibia’s western coast is the Namib Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Inland, a range of high, craggy mountains rise sharply from the desert plains. The rest of the country lies on a high, semi-desert plateau; its land is a mixture of scrubland and savanna. In the east, this region merges with the Kalahari Desert. Namibia’s climate is subtropical, with very hot summers and warm winters. There is very little rain. The capital, Windhoek, lies high in the mountains, where conditions are slightly cooler all year round.

People

Most Namibians are descended from the Bantu peoples who spread out from central Africa 3000 years ago. Today, there are 16 different ethnic groups or “tribes” in Namibia; the largest group, the Ovambo, make up 50% of the population. Many groups speak different languages but most people can speak Afrikaans or English to communicate with one another. Nearly all Namibian children go to school, which means that the country has one of the highest literacy rates (the proportion who can read and write) in sub-Saharan Africa. About 2% of the population is of European—Afrikaner, German English or Portuguese—descent.

Himba

Namibia’s Himba people are semi-nomadic farmers who herd cattle and goats across the Kaokoland, an area of dry northern plains. They measure their wealth by the number of cattle they own. In Himba villages, women and girls are builders, building and maintaining the family home. They also milk the cows, collect water, cook and make jewellery. Men and older boys look after the animals; they are sometimes away herding for weeks at a time. The Himba have distinctive hairstyles: people wear different braids or styles to show that they are married, have had a child, or even that they are one of twins.

Mining

Mining is Namibia’s largest industry. The country is one of the world’s largest producers of uranium, used to fuel nuclear power stations. Namibia also supplies almost one-third of the world’s diamonds; known as “alluvial diamonds”, they are found in the beds and valleys of old rivers that have dried up. Although many mining companies in Namibia are foreign-owned, the industry still brings in about half of the country’s entire export earnings.

Farming

Only a very small number of people work in mining; most Namibians are farmers. People in the centre and north of the country raise cattle and goats and grow crops such as millet and sorghum to feed themselves and their families. In the south, many people are employed on large commercial ranches, tending cattle and sheep.

Namib Desert

The Namib Desert stretches for more than 2000 kilometres (1200 miles) along Namibia’s Atlantic coast, reaching into South Africa in the south and Angola in the north. Its name, Namib, means “vast place” in the local Nama language. Near the coast, the desert landscape is made up of rolling sand dunes and flat “sand seas” similar to those found on Mars. Some of the dunes soar more than 300 metres (980 feet) tall: they are the highest coastal sand dunes in the world. Few animals and plants can survive here. Often, a thick fog rolls in from the ocean, providing moisture for desert shrubs, small animals and insects.

Facts about Namibia

Population 3,092,816 (2023 census)

Area 823,290 sq km

Highest point Brandberg 2606 m (8550 ft)

Capital Windhoek, population 486,169

Other major cities Rundu (118,625), Walvis Bay (102,704), Swakopmund (75,921)

Languages Oshiwambo, Nama / Damara, Otjiherero and Kavango languages, Afrikaans, English

Religions Christian 88%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%

Ethnicity Ovambo 50%, Kavango 9%, Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, San 3%, others 5%

Currency Namibian dollar (NAD)

Chief exports diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium, fish, molluscs, cattle, meat