Learn:
View facts for each region of Africa.
Watch:
View photographs from Africa.
Interact:
Take our online quiz to test your knowledge of Africa!
Map:
Flag:
| Background: | South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. |
| Location: | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
| Geographic coordinates: | 22 00 S, 17 00 E |
| Map references: | Africa |
| Area: | total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly more than half the size of Alaska |
| Population: | 2,030,692 (July 2005 est.) |
| Capital: | Windhoek |
Source: The CIA World Factbook
© 2021 USA-Africa Foundation - All Rights Reserved.
