Official Name: Republic of Namibia.

Area: Africa

Size: 824,292 km²

Coastline: 1.572 km

Independence: from South Africa March 21, 1990 

Form of Govt.: Republic

Head of Govt.: President

Capital: Windhoek

Largest City: Windhoek

Demographics (2005): 2,031,000.    2.5 /km²

Black 84%, White 8%, Mixed 8%

GDP per Capita (2005): $7,478

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

Geography: The country is divided into three topographical regions. (1.) The coastal desert region which includes the Namib Desert and follows the entire length of the coastline. (2.) The inland plateau region which is a continuation of the South African Plateau and also contains the isolated massifs of the Tsaris Mountains in the southwest, the Anas Mountains in the central area and the Erongo Mountains in the west. (3.) The dune and grass covered Kalahari Desert to the east and south of the inland plateau region.

Climate: Namibia has a temperate and subtropical climate characterized by hot and dry conditions with little rainfall along the coast. Temperatures are moderated by cold Benguela currents while periods of winter drought alternate with excessive summer rainfall between October and March with the interior experiencing slightly higher rainfall. Average annual precipitation in Windhoek is 360 mm and average temperature ranges are from 6 to 20 degrees in July to 17 to 29 degrees in January