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Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa 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.
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Common Name: Namibia
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Local Official Name: Namibia
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Namibia
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Official Name: Namibia
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Official Script Name: Namibia
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Local Common Name: Namibia
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Former Name: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA
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Government Type: republic
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Independence: 1990 March 21 (from South African mandate)
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Constitution: ratified 1990 February 9 (effective 1990 March 12)
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 21 March
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International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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Administrative Divisions: 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
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Suffrage: 18 years of age years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA elected president; percent of vote - Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA 77%
Legislative Branch:
bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held by December 2004); National Assembly - last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held by December 2004)
note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 21, DTA 4, UDF 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76%, COD 10%, DTA 9%, UDF 3%, MAG 1%, other 1%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 7, DTA 7, UDF 2, MAG 1,
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
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Party Leaders: Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Kosie PRETORIUS]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]
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International Disputes: NA
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Namibia: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
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Continent: Africa
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Land Area Total: 825,418 sq km
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Region: Southern African |
Land Area Land: 825,418 sq km
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Capitol City: Windhoek
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current:
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Latitude: 022 00 S
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Border Boundary Land: 3,936 km
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Longitude: 017 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 1,572 km
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Arable Land: 1.00 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.00 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,606 m
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Location: Konigstein
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Atlantic Ocean
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Largest City in Namibia: Windhoek
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Windhoek Largest City Population: 202,000
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Threatened Species: 0
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Environmental Issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 70
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Bordering Countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
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Natural Resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
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Geographical Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
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Comparative Area of Namibia: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
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Namibia's Geography: first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Namibia.
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General Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
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Natural Hazards: prolonged periods of drought
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Economic Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. Namibia must import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment.
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GDP: $8,100,000,000 USD
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Currency: Namibian dollar; South African rand
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GDP per Capita: $4,500 USD
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Currency Code: NAD;
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GDP Growth Rate: 4.00 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% NAD;
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Namibian dollars per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997)
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GDP of Agriculture: 11.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 28.00 %
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GDP of Services: 61.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 8.80 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 30.00 %
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Tourism: 614,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $883,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $950,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 30,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 890,800,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 863,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 2.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 98.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $217,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $127,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish
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Primary Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)
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Industrial Growth Rate: 0.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $1,710,000,000 USD - foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals
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Import Partners: South Africa 81%, US 4%, Germany 2%
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Export Amount in USD: $1,580,000,000 USD - diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins
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Export Partners: UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 500,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 45 |
Number of People with Radios: 232,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 8 |
Number of People with Televisions: 60,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 110,200 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 82,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 2 |
Internet Users: 30,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .na |
Newspapers: 19 |
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Two Letter Country Code: NA |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: +264 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital
international: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
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Highways: 5,378 km |
Railways: 2,382 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 22 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 0 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: NA
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Ports and Harbors: Luderitz, Walvis Bay
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Population: 1,820,916 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 34.17 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 2.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 22.28 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.19% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 4.77 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 392,706 |
Population Female 0-14: 382,690 |
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Population Male 15-64: 490,151 |
Population Female 15-64: 488,052 |
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Population Male 65+: 29,345 |
Population Female 65+: 37,972 |
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Population 0-14: 42.60% |
Literacy Rate: 38.00% |
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Population 15-64: 53.70% |
Literacy rate of Males: 45.00% |
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Population 65+: 3.70% |
Literacy rate of Females: 31.00% |
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Population that is Male: 50.00
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Population that is Female: 50.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 38.97 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 72.43 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 40.81 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 37.07 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 19.54%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 160,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 18,000 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 0.00
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Nationality: NAMIBIAN
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Ethnic Groups: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%
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Primary Language: Afrikaans
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Other Languages: English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
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Primary Religion: Christian
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Other Religions: Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%
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Branches: National Defense Force (Army, including Air Wing), Police
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 436,642 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 260,879 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $104,400,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 2.60
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Namibia Spa and Resort Directory
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