TOEFL Test Centers in Namibia

Namibia Overview

Namibia, state in southwestern Africa, mostly inhabited by Bantu peoples. About 6% of the population are white, of which 30% are of German descent.

From the Namib coastal desert, the land rises steeply to the inner plateau, which merges into the vast plains of the north, northeast and east. In agriculture, mainly cattle breeding is practiced (cattle and Karakul sheep); in the north arable farming is also possible with artificial irrigation. Thanks to the plankton-rich cold ocean current off Namibia (Benguela Current), fishing is an important industry. The production of diamonds (especially jewelery diamonds) is of great importance in the Namib.

History: The area was discovered by the Portuguese in the 15th century and became a German protected area in 1884/85 (German South West Africa). In 1920 it came under South African administration as a League of Nations mandate. In 1966 the UN General Assembly revoked the mandate from South Africa; in 1968 it renamed the country »Namibia«. The International Court of Justice declared the continued presence of South Africa in Namibia illegal under international law. In 1990 Namibia became the last colony in Africa to gain independence.

Country Overview

Country facts

• Official name: Republic of Namibia
• License plate: NAM
• ISO-3166: NA, NAM (516)
• Internet domain:.na
• Currency: 1 Namibia dollar (N $) = 100 cents
• Area: 824 290 km²
• Population (2018): 2.4 million
• Capital: Windhoek
• Official language (s): English
• Form of government: Presidential Republic
• Administrative division: 14 regions
• Head of State: President Hage Geingob (since March 21, 2015)
• Religion (s): 80-90% Christians (Lutherans, Catholics; Anglicans), 10-20% followers of traditional African religions
• Time zone: Central European Time
• National holiday: March 21st

Location and infrastructure

• Location (geographical): South West Africa
• Position (coordinates): between 17 ° and 29 ° south latitude and 12 ° and 25 ° east longitude
• Climate: Subtropical dry climate
• Highest mountain: Königstein (2573 m)
• Road network (2018): 7 893 km (paved), 40 982 km (unpaved)
• Railway network (2014): 2,628 km

Population

• Annual population growth (2018): 1.9%
• Birth rate (2018): 26.8 per 1000 residents.
• Death rate (2018): 7.7 per 1000 residents.
• Average age (2018): 21.4 years
• Average life expectancy (2018): 64.4 years (men 62.7; women 66.2)
• Age structure (2018): 36.5% younger than 15 years, 3.9% older than 65 years
• Literacy rate (15-year-olds and older) (2015): 81.9%
• Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2017): 106 per 100 residents
• Internet users (2017): 37 per 100 residents

Economy

• GDP per capita (2018): US $ 5,727
• Total GDP (2018): US $ 14 billion
• GNI per capita (2018): US $ 5,250
• Education expenditure (2014): 3.1% of GDP
• Military expenditure (2018): 3.3% of GDP
• Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2017): 23.3%

Climate and vegetation

The climate is subtropical continental with strong daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations. In the north and northeast, marginal tropical conditions prevail. In the middle of the country, the temperature is reduced by the altitude (annual mean: Windhoek 19.5 ° C). The rainfall, which fluctuates strongly from year to year, decreases from northeast to southwest (Tsumeb 572 mm, Windhoek 338 mm, Warmbad 85 mm) and almost completely stops on the coast.

The Namibian desert

The Namibian desert is considered to be the oldest desert in the world. In its western part it is largely without vegetation, but in the other parts there are plants and animals. Lichen grow on the rock and protect the soil from erosion. One of the strangest and oldest plants, the Welwitschia, only grows in the northern and central Namibs. Its one meter long shoot protrudes only a little above the ground. It has two, several meters long leaves that grow for life and weather at the tips. The plant absorbs moisture through extensive roots below the surface of the earth. The Welwitschia can live to be over 1,000 years old.

The required moisture is provided by the morning mist, which is created by the cold Benguela current off the coast. The plants are able to absorb the humidity and in this way ensure their survival. The animals in the Namib are also survivors. One species of black beetle, the head-standing beetle, crawls on a dune ridge in the morning and stands on its head. So the mist moisture can condense on him and flow into his mouth opening. Other species of beetles make small furrows at right angles to the direction of the wind, in which the fog moisture can settle. The dwarf puff adder, on the other hand, lays in the wind and licks the condensed moisture from its body.

An ecosystem with great biodiversity is the Naukluft Mountains, which, along with parts of the Namib, are part of one of the largest national parks on earth, the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The river Kuiseb and its gallery forests form an effective barrier against the sand blowing in from the dune areas of the Namib. Large colonies of weaver birds live in the Sesriem Canyon, a canyon about 30 meters deep created by the Tsauchab River.

In the north and northeast, dry forest is widespread, partly with mopane trees, in the center and east thorn savannah, in the extreme south and on the anti-traffic coast semi-desert and desert. Here you can only find succulents, including the Welwitschia described as a living fossil. Large wildlife sanctuaries are the Etosha National Park and the Namib-Naukluft National Park.