FIND YOUR COUNTRY: Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990 following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek (German: Windhuk). Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), the Commonwealth of Nations and many other international organisations. It has been given many names: the land of contrasts, the land God made in anger, the ageless land. For many years it was known only as South West Africa, but it adopted the name Namibia, after the Namib Desert. It is the second most sparsely populated country in the world, after Mongolia.

It was visited by the British and Dutch missionaries during the late 18th century, but became a German protectorate in 1884. In 1920, the League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa, which imposed their laws and apartheid policy without bounds. In 1966, local uprisings and letters sent by traditional African leaders like Hosea Kutako forced the United Nations to assume direct responsibility over the territory, changing the name to Namibia in 1968 and recognizing South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) as official representative of the Namibian people in 1973.

Namibia, however, remained under South African administration during this time. Namibian leaders longed for independence and commenced guerrilla activities, especially in the north. In 1970, SWAPO made alliances with Fidel Castro who sent Cuban troops to join SWAPO-forces in their struggle for independence. In response, South Africa installed an interim administration in Namibia in 1985. Following negotiations Namibia obtained full independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990. Namibia's independence came in conjunction with South Africa's withdrawal from Angola and became governed by a democratically elected President, Prime Minister, Cabinet and National Assembly. Namibia is one of Africa's most developed and stable countries, with a stable multiparty parliamentary democracy and an estimated population of 1,820,916. Tourism and mining of precious stones and metals form the backbone of Namibia's economy. About half the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.^[3]

The nation has suffered heavily from the effects of HIV and AIDS; One in seven are estimated to be living with AIDS, and the number affected by HIV is feared to be even higher.