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.
