Namibia

Namibia is a large, dry country in southern Africa on the Atlantic coast, between Angola, Botswana and South Africa. Windhoek is the capital and largest city. English is the sole official language, chosen at independence although few speak it at home, while German and Afrikaans lost their official status in 1990.

The San, Damara and Nama have lived here since prehistoric times, and Bantu peoples arrived around the 14th century; from about 1600 the Owambo formed kingdoms such as Ondonga. Portuguese navigators landed in the 1480s without claiming the coast, and Britain's Cape Colony annexed Walvis Bay in 1878. Germany made the territory German South West Africa in 1884. South African troops took the colony in 1915, and a League of Nations mandate handed it to South Africa in 1920.

South Africa ran the territory under a League of Nations mandate after World War I. SWAPO led the movement for independence, and a 1988 accord between South Africa, Angola and Cuba opened the way to elections. On 21 March 1990 the country became independent with Sam Nujoma as first president, and Walvis Bay followed in 1994. Under the semi-presidential constitution the president is both head of state and head of government, and SWAPO has dominated politics since independence.

At 825,615 km² (318,772 sq mi), Namibia lies between the Namib and Kalahari deserts, and its coastal desert is among the oldest on Earth. Diamonds, uranium, gold and other metals, along with farming and tourism, support the economy. Its constitution commits the state to protecting the environment, and communal conservancies help protect wildlife such as the black rhino. Twyfelfontein, with its prehistoric rock engravings, became a UNESCO site in 2007, while Etosha Pan, Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast and the Fish River Canyon draw visitors.