Namibia is a country in southwestern Africa, on the Atlantic coast, a vast and dramatically arid land named after the Namib, one of the oldest deserts in the world. Sparsely populated, with great dunes, canyons, and a wild, foggy shore, it is a place of stark and spectacular natural beauty. One of the last countries in Africa to gain independence, in 1990, it has become a stable democracy whose wealth lies in diamonds, other minerals, and its extraordinary wildlife.

The land was home to the San, the Nama, the Herero, and other peoples before it became, in the late nineteenth century, the colony of German South West Africa. German rule was marked by the brutal suppression of a Herero and Nama uprising in the early twentieth century, often described as the first genocide of that century. After the First World War the territory was governed by South Africa, which extended its apartheid system there. A long liberation struggle led to independence in 1990, the last new nation in mainland Africa.

Samuel Maharero, a Herero leader during the uprising against German colonial rule that was brutally crushed. Credit: Unknown photographer (Public domain).
Samuel Maharero, a Herero leader during the uprising against German colonial rule that was brutally crushed. Credit: Unknown photographer (Public domain).

Namibia is overwhelmingly dry, dominated by two deserts: the ancient Namib along the Atlantic coast, with its towering red dunes at Sossusvlei among the highest in the world, and the Kalahari in the east. Between and beyond them lie semi-arid savanna and rugged highlands, and in the south the vast Fish River Canyon, one of the largest canyons on Earth. The cold Atlantic current shrouds the shore, the Skeleton Coast, in fog, and the country is one of the least densely populated on the planet.

The towering dunes of the Namib, one of the oldest deserts in the world, which gives the country its name. Credit: Thomas Schoch (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The towering dunes of the Namib, one of the oldest deserts in the world, which gives the country its name. Credit: Thomas Schoch (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Flag of Namibia.
Flag of Namibia.

The flag of Namibia is crossed diagonally by a broad red band edged in white, dividing a blue triangle in the upper hoist from a green one in the lower fly, with a golden sun in the blue. The red represents the country's people and their determination, the white peace and unity, the blue the sky and the Atlantic and the importance of water, the green the vegetation and farming, and the golden sun life and energy in this sun-baked land.

Namibia is a predominantly Christian country, the result of German and other missionary activity, with the largest group being Lutherans, reflecting the German connection, alongside Roman Catholics and other Protestants. Traditional African beliefs, with their reverence for ancestors, remain influential among some communities and are sometimes blended with Christianity. Religion plays an important role in Namibian society, and the country is generally marked by tolerance among its various faiths and peoples.

Namibian cuisine reflects a meat-eating, cattle and game herding culture, along with German colonial influences. Meat is central, including beef and the game for which the country is known, often dried into the cured snack known across the region as biltong, or grilled. A distinctive legacy of the German era is a tradition of sausage-making, bread, and beer. Among indigenous communities, hearty porridges of millet or maize, served with meat or relishes, are the everyday staple.

Agriculture in Namibia is shaped and limited by the extreme dryness of the land. Most farming is the raising of livestock, cattle in the wetter north and sheep, especially the karakul breed valued for its pelts, and goats in the drier south, on vast ranches. Crop farming, mainly of millet and maize, is confined to the better-watered north. Far more valuable to the economy are the country's minerals, above all diamonds, much of them mined from the coastal sands, as well as uranium, and its rich Atlantic fisheries.

The colonial era and the suppression of the Herero and Nama, the long rule by apartheid South Africa, and the protracted struggle for liberation shaped modern Namibia. Independence finally came in 1990, making Namibia one of the last territories in Africa to be decolonised, and it has since been a stable, peaceful democracy. The country has won particular praise for its pioneering approach to wildlife conservation, including community-run conservancies that have helped restore animal populations.

Hendrik Witbooi, a Nama leader who resisted German colonisation around the turn of the twentieth century. Credit: Regierung von DSWA (Public domain).
Hendrik Witbooi, a Nama leader who resisted German colonisation around the turn of the twentieth century. Credit: Regierung von DSWA (Public domain).

Namibia has a population of around 2.6 million people in a very large country, making it one of the most sparsely populated nations on Earth. Its people belong to several ethnic groups, the largest being the Ovambo of the north, along with the Herero, Nama, Damara, the San, and a small community of German descent, speaking many languages with English as the official tongue. The population is concentrated in the wetter north and in the capital, Windhoek, in the central highlands.