Namibia - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Namibia. The Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world; Namibia is the 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; Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 sq km), is the largest game park in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.6 years (2013 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 215 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Namibia
Location Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
Geographic coordinates 22 00 S, 17 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Natural Resources diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
Natural Hazards prolonged periods of drought
Irrigated Land 80 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Orange river mouth (shared with Lesotho [s], and South Africa) - 2,092 km; Okavango (shared with Angola [s], and Botswana [m]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Lower Kalahari-Stampriet Basin, Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin
Land Boundaries 4,220 km
Border Countries Angola 1,427 km; Botswana 1,544 km; South Africa 1,005 km; Zambia 244 km
Coastline 1,572 km
Climate desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Area
Total Area
Land Area 823,290 sq km
Water Area 1,002 sq km
comparative Area almost seven times the size of Pennsylvania; slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Konigstein on Brandberg 2,573 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 1,141 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 47.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 46.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 8.8% (2018 est.)
Other 44% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Population density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Namibia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Ovambo 50%, Kavangos 9%, Herero 7%, Damara 7%, mixed European and African ancestry 6.5%, European 6%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, San 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Population
Pop growth rate 1.72% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 24.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8.9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.7 beds/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 2.89 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.43 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 56.1% (2013)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 33.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 9.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Net Migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Namibian | Namibian(s)
Languages Oshiwambo languages 49.7%, Nama/Damara 11%, Kavango languages 10.4%, Afrikaans 9.4%, Herero languages 9.2%, Zambezi languages 4.9%, English (official) 2.3%, other African languages 1.5%, other European languages 0.7%, other 1% (2016 est.)
Religions Christian 97.5%, other 0.6% (includes Muslim, Baha'i, Jewish, Buddhist), unaffiliated 1.9% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 34.1% (male 482,790/female 473,306)
15-64 years 62% (male 846,810/female 890,099)
65 years and over 3.9% (2024 est.) (male 47,686/female 62,969)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 67.3
Youth dependency ratio 60.6
Elderly dependency ratio 6.7
Potential support ratio 14.8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 22.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 22.1 years
Female 23.5 years
Urbanization
Urban population 54.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 477,000 WINDHOEK (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 27.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 31 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 65.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 64.2 years
Female 67.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 83.2% of population
Improved: total total: 91.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 16.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 8.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 70.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 23.6% of population
Improved: total total: 48.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 29.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 76.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 51.9% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 2.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 15.1% (2020 est.)
Male 24.2% (2020 est.)
Female 6% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Planning officials view Namibia’s reduced population growth rate as sustainable based on the country’s economic growth over the past decade. Prior to independence in 1990, Namibia’s relatively small population grew at about 3% annually, but declining fertility and the impact of HIV/AIDS slowed this growth to 1.4% by 2011, rebounding to close to 2% by 2016. Namibia’s fertility rate has fallen over the last two decades – from about 4.5 children per woman in 1996 to 3.4 in 2016 and to 3 in 2022 – due to increased contraceptive use, higher educational attainment among women, and greater female participation in the labor force. The average age at first birth has stayed fairly constant, but the age at first marriage continues to increase, indicating a rising incidence of premarital childbearing.

The majority of Namibians are rural dwellers (about 55%) and live in the better-watered north and northeast parts of the country. Migration, historically male-dominated, generally flows from northern communal areas – non-agricultural lands where blacks were sequestered under the apartheid system – to agricultural, mining, and manufacturing centers in the center and south. After independence from South Africa, restrictions on internal movement eased, and rural-urban migration increased, bolstering urban growth.

Some Namibians – usually persons who are better-educated, more affluent, and from urban areas – continue to legally migrate to South Africa temporarily to visit family and friends and, much less frequently, to pursue tertiary education or better economic opportunities. Namibians concentrated along the country’s other borders make unauthorized visits to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, or Botswana, to visit family and to trade agricultural goods. Few Namibians express interest in permanently settling in other countries; they prefer the safety of their homeland, have a strong national identity, and enjoy a well-supplied retail sector. Although Namibia is receptive to foreign investment and cross-border trade, intolerance toward non-citizens is widespread.

All Important Facts about Namibia

Want to know more about Namibia? Check all different factbooks for Namibia below.

Namibia is found in Southern Africa