Memories of Angola, 2008 PART 1. From the border to Lubango. March 23rd, 2010
So, our group crossed the Namibian-Angolan border, the car on the left side of the road changed lanes to the right, the ubiquitous English in Namibia was replaced by Portuguese, which was completely impenetrable for me, and the most unpredictable part of our journey along the South Africa-Namibia-Angola route began. Because of the declared Angola, I went on this trip, because the history of this country is directly proportional to its attractions and inversely proportional to its accessibility. Or, in other words, this country is worthy of visiting, but is not favorable to strangers.
1.
If anyone decides to cross this border in the future, I would recommend doing it in the opposite direction, from Angola to Namibia. I also recently got burned in Jamaica, which strictly cannot be planned after Cuba, because with fresh forces you need to start where it is more difficult, or uninteresting, or worse. Angola is interesting and not particularly worse, but difficult, even difficult at times, plus some absolutely special mentality, coupled with a complete lack of not only tourist infrastructure, but even basic overnight accommodation. All this ultimately results in irritation.
Our transport in Angola.
We crossed the border to Oshikango. And, it should be noted, not without problems. It turned out - I think this is a hundred percent lie of the border guards in order to receive some kind of reward - that simply obtaining a visa (not the easiest one, by the way) is not enough to get into the country. It was also necessary to grab some kind of entry permit from the embassy. They even showed us what it looks like. At this point, the guy who was translating what the officer was muttering from the border booth, who had volunteered for us to simplify the process of getting into his country, faltered. We argued for some time and finally received entry stamps, having managed to create a traffic jam in the narrow passage separating two such different states - Angola and Namibia. It’s none of my business, in general, but it seems to me that it’s disgusting to have such twisted visa rules for citizens of Russia, a country that played a key role in the history of Angola and has large business projects to this day. It’s not for nothing that Aeroflot still flies to Angola. There is even a union of Angola veterans, on whose website veteranangola.ru you can find information about the participation of the Soviet military in this war.
Well, here we are, finally, in Angola, in the province of Cunene. The south of Angola is the thickest part of the fighting during the long Civil War. Here, in Kunen, as well as in neighboring provinces, millions of Soviet-made mines are waiting in the ground (I wonder if they were given for free?). And now, every year, here and there there are cases of death. Even before the trip, I came across the website of the Miss Mina competition, in which Koleki girls participated who had lost parts of their bodies on Angolan soil as a result of a mine explosion. Now the minefields are marked with red paint, sometimes on poles and sometimes just on trees. White paint marks the places where sappers have already worked. That is, the pillars are not removed, the sappers have worked - good, but you never know. Go at your own risk.
Behind the fence is a minefield.
The civil war began in Angola in 1975, almost immediately after the country gained independence from Portugal. The two main movements are MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola) and UNITA (Union for the Liberation of Angola). complete independence Angola) did not find common ground on the question of the direction of the country's development. The MPLA, which holds legitimate power and sees a universal happy future in socialism, was supported by the USSR (with equipment and instructors) and Cuba (forced volunteer units), and UNITA, oriented towards the West, was supported by South Africa, the USA and the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, at that time - Zaire.
The clashes in the first weeks of the conflict were particularly difficult - South Africa sent troops into Angola - but in general they took place both in the north and in the south on the outskirts of the country. The MPLA, backed by enormous support, has emerged stronger every time. Just a few months after the start of the war, the head of UNITA, similar to Barmaley, Jonas Savimbi, announced the transition of the war to partisan warfare. In the early 80s, South Africa launched another invasion of Angola, but it also ended in defeat.
Well, then South Africa lost Namibia, which had once been part of it, and Angola became territorially inaccessible to the troops of the Republic of South Africa. In 1992, the first in the country were held presidential elections, in which Savimbi, who had previously managed to conclude a peace treaty with the government, lost, which he, of course, did not like and the war flared up again. True, this time the ruling party MPLA, which for natural reasons had lost the support of the main ally of the USSR, made friends with the USA and Savimbi had nothing to count on. Funds came from monitoring the illegal sale of diamonds, and this partly encouraged Savimbi not to stop the war at all, so as not to lose such a huge pie. This would probably have continued if government troops had not shot him in 2002. This ended the conflict and, although UNITA still exists, the battles are now being fought only for seats in parliament.
Echoes of the past confrontation are encountered along the way almost immediately after crossing the border. Military equipment with armor torn apart from direct hits has been rusting along the roads for decades. And, of course, a rare traveler will be able to drive past and not be photographed in front of this scrap metal.
Echo of war.
Tanks and everything else, as far as I understand, are mostly Soviet-made. In some places you can see stamped numbers, by which, I suppose, you can even find out their export history, but no one needs this anymore.
Damaged equipment.
We were heading to Lubango, the capital of the province with the outrageous name of Huila. We had to long haul, because from the border to Lubango there are 450 kilometers and no one knew what condition the road was in. Our driver, originally from Namibia (white, by the way), just shrugged his shoulders, last time he was in these parts several years ago, it can be considered that there was no road then, and he was not driving a low-set Indian TATA bus (a la PAZik) with a trailer, but a Land Cruiser. The road, at first, was still asphalt, but soon the asphalt ran out, a compacted dirt road began (the road is being built), and then the old asphalt, killed by tanks probably 30 years ago, was brown with dust, with huge and frequent deep holes. Very soon we lost the air conditioner attached to the bottom of the bus by slamming it to the ground on one of the bumps and broke the electrical wire connecting the bus to the trailer.
Road under construction.
Along the road there were bags for sale with unknown contents (maybe coal from Zambia?).
On the way, our attention was attracted by local villagers who were catching fish using special snares in a small dirty puddle.
Group fishing.
The snares are sharply lowered into the water, and the caught fish is pulled out through the hole at the top. It is safe to say that fish were caught in the same way during the time of the Portuguese. True, we never saw the catch.
As soon as we were noticed, the fisherwomen (apparently, in their village, fishing is an exclusively female activity) all began to pose as one. The problems at the border were immediately forgotten, and it immediately became clear that there were normal people in this country too. I had great pleasure communicating with them. And now, when I talk about contacts with ordinary non-urban Africans, I remember exactly this episode from my trips around the black continent. We received mutual, and free (which rarely happens in general). Lately), pleasure from this communication. More than rarely, whites visit those places; perhaps some local residents have never come into contact with Caucasians at all, so they have not yet learned to ask for money for photos, like their neighbors in Namibia. They got candy from us (no one fought, as usually happens), we got their photographs. And, of course, mutual impressions.
We got several successful portraits.
Baobab trees are often found in these areas. According to a number of sources, in particular a local guidebook obtained somewhere along the way, not far from the town of Xangongo that we passed, you can see the largest baobab tree in Africa. This is a controversial statement, because other “largest baobabs in Africa” are also known, but nevertheless. We missed the largest baobab, but even those we met along the way also commanded respect for their size.
We managed to see baobab flowers. By this time, the trees had almost all faded, but in some places they could still be found.
The day was coming to an end, we tried not to make any unnecessary stops. Along the way we came across several more sleepy provincial villages and towns, whose residents spent a long time seeing off our unusual for these places vehicle with a funny rumbling trailer.
On the way to.
The sunset was met on the way.
We arrived in Lubango late in the evening, it was already completely dark.
All stories from this trip.
Namibia (officially the Republic of Namibia) is a country located in southern Africa. In the west the country borders the Atlantic Ocean. In the north, Namibia shares a border with Zambia and Angola, with Botswana in the east and, of course, with South Africa in the south and southeast, and almost borders Zimbabwe. Namibia dates its independence from March 21, 1990, which the country gained during the civil war. The capital and largest city of Namibia is Windhoek. Namibia is a member of the UN and is also a member of the Southern African Affairs Community, the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations.
The lands of Namibia have been inhabited since ancient times by Bushmen, Damara and Nama. In the 14th century, Bantus arrived in these lands and now make up the majority of the population.
Since the end of the 19th century, most of the territory has been colonized by Germany. It was through the efforts of the German government that Namibia began to develop infrastructure and agriculture. In 1915, South African troops won independence for themselves and at the same time for Namibia, which they themselves subsequently, in fact, colonized.
At that moment global community supported “tutorship” by South Africa. However, over time, opinions changed and South Africa began to be condemned for apartheid and harsh racial policies (the same policies were practiced in Namibia). Since the 70s, the world community has supported the Namibian separatists from SWAPO, recognizing them as legitimate representatives of the Namibian people. By the way, the “legal representatives” themselves did not disdain anything in their struggle, including terrorism. However, one way or another, it was through the efforts of SWAPO that Namibia gained independence, and the latter moved away from their terrorist past and became the largest and most authoritative party in Namibia.
Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people (of which 210 thousand have HIV, which is a high figure). The country has a stable parliamentary democracy and very free media. Namibia lives off tourism Agriculture and cattle breeding, as well as the mining industry. Namibia has the lowest population density in Africa and one of the lowest in the world.
Namibia has the driest desert in the world and at the same time, this country claims to be the capital of safari.
The Namibians themselves love extreme sport, rugby, roller hockey and football (and the national team of this country, imagine, in terms of its achievements will give a head start to the Russian one - they manage to play football even worse).
Name
The country's name comes from the Namib Desert, which is the oldest desert in the world. Before gaining its independence in 1990, the area was known as German South West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) and then as South West Africa.
Story
Pre-colonial period
The dry lands of Namibia have been inhabited by the San, Damara and Nama peoples since ancient times. In the 14th century, the Bantu people came to these lands. At the end of the 18th century, the people of eagles came here from the Cape Colony across the Orange River. The people who arrived here were received kindly local residents and even for some time they were given tax breaks. However, the Herero people were unhappy with this migration and military clashes spilled over into the Namo-Herero War, which began in 1880. The clashes ended only after independence.
The first Europeans to arrive in the region were the Portuguese sailors of Diogo Can in 1485
The first Europeans to land and explore the region were Portuguese sailors Diogo Cao in 1485 and Bartholomew Dias in 1486. However, these lands were not of interest to the Portuguese Crown. Like most lands south of the Sahara, Namibia was not explored by Europeans until the 19th century. These lands were mainly visited by traders and settlers from Germany and Sweden. At the end of the 19th century, German climbers explored the mountains of Namibia. Some of them eventually settled in these lands.
German rule
Namibia became a German colony in 1884 by order of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This was mainly done to prevent the strengthening of the British in this region. However, the British governor in Cape Town came to the conclusion that of all the lands of Namibia, only Walvis Bay was of interest to England and annexed the city to its territory (today the city is located in the very heart of Namibia).
The period 1904 to 1907 was marked by a series of armed revolts by the Nama and Herero peoples against the Germans. The German government's response has been called "the first genocide of the twentieth century." The German government ordered the complete destruction of these peoples. During three years 10,000 Nama (half the total population) and 65,000 Herero (80% of the total population) were killed. The surviving representatives of the peoples were subsequently subjected to deportation, forced labor, and discrimination.
Most Africans were prohibited from moving independently. They had to live in the so-called home territory. Later, this policy led to the emergence of the first Bantustans. Some historians believe that German policy in Namibia was a prototype of the fascist model. The memory of the genocide is part of the culture and policy towards Germany. The German government has officially apologized for the 2004 genocide in Namibia.
Dominion of South Africa
South Africa, by decision of the League of Nations, began to patronize Namibia in 1915, immediately after Namibia was liberated from the German dictatorship (One of the factors in the liberation of Namibia was the First World War, because of which Germany was forced to concentrate all its forces on the European theater of operations). Government South Africa wanted to rename Namibia South-West Africa, but did not do so, fearing a rebellion from local tribes. But de facto Namibia became the fifth province of South Africa, and appointed officials from South Africa had very broad rights.
After the League of Nations was replaced by the UN, South Africa's powers were reduced to this region. However, during this same period, an apartheid regime was established in South Africa, which was also transferred to the territory of Namibia. Various tribal organizations in Namibia wrote numerous petitions and complaints to the UN asking for independence for Namibia, but the requests were not taken into account. In the 1960s, France and Great Britain granted independence to a number of colonies in Africa and this became an additional factor of pressure on South Africa.
In 1966, the International Court of Justice rejected a complaint by Ethiopia and Liberia against South Africa's continued presence in Namibia. However, the UN General Assembly subsequently revoked South Africa's mandate. South Africa de facto administered the territory, but in Namibia there were already emerging partisan movements directed against invaders. In 1971, the International Court of Justice issued an "advisory opinion" declaring that South Africa's continued administration of Namibia would be unlawful.
This ruling became the impetus for the Namibian People's Liberation Army, which began an armed struggle for independence. The war continued until 1988, when South Africa agreed to end the occupation of Namibia.
Land disputes
Historically, there were only 0.2% of white people in Namibia, who were mainly engaged in farming. At the same time, the situation developed that these 0.2% owned 74% of arable land and mines, and as a rule, the best. While local population was often limited in rights and received everything that whites did not need.
South West Africa was officially recognized as Namibia by the UN in 1968. In 1978, the UN Security Council adopted a plan for Namibia's transition to independence, but for 10 years the world community could not convince South Africa to follow it. When South Africa agreed to grant independence to Namibia, the governments of South Africa, Angola and Cuba acted as parties to the negotiations, and the USSR and the USA acted as observers. As a result, according to the agreements, South Africa withdrew its troops from Namibia. In turn, Cuba withdrew troops from Angola's southern border, which were later involved in the Angolan Civil War. Angola was also soon able to resolve its civil war.
Subsequently, a UN assistance group, headed by Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, operated in Namibia. The group operated from April 1989 to March 1990. The main goal was to monitor the peace process, organize fair elections and control the demilitarization of the region.
After the end of the war, about 46,000 people returned to their homeland. Elections to the Constitutional Assembly took place in November 1989. The slogan for the first elections in Namibia's history was "Free and Fair Elections". The SWAPO party won the elections (however, they did not receive 2/3 of the votes, as they had intended). The official opposition was the DTA party. The elections themselves are considered peaceful, free and fair.
The Constitution, which was adopted in 1990, included new laws for the country. On the protection of human rights, an independent judicial system, legislatures. The country officially became independent on March 21, 1990. Sam Nujoma became the country's first president. One of the honored guests at the inauguration was Nelson Mandela, who had been released from prison a month earlier, as well as representatives from 147 countries, including 20 heads of state. In 1994, South Africa returned the town of Walvis Bay to Namibia.
After independence
After independence, Namibia transitioned from white minority apartheid to democracy. The election system exists at local, regional and state level. Since independence, every election has been won by the SWAPO party. Sam Nujoma served as president for 15 years before being replaced in 2015 by Hifikepunye Pohamba, who still governs the country today.
The Government of Namibia encourages a policy of national reconciliation. The government granted an amnesty to all those who fought on both sides during the liberation war. Also Civil War in Angola spread to the northern territories of Namibia and had a negative impact on the development of this region. In 1998, Namibian Defense Forces were deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the Southern African Development contingent.
In 1999, the national government successfully repelled separatist actions in the northeastern Caprivi strip. The Caprivi conflict was initiated by the Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA). Their goal was to secede the Caprivi and create their own state
Geography
The area of Namibia is 825,615 sq. km. Namibia is the thirty-fourth largest country in the world (after Venezuela). It lies mainly between latitudes 17° and 29° south and longitudes 11° and 26° east.
Namibia is located between the Namib and Kalahari deserts and therefore has the least rainfall of any sub-Saharan country.
Namibia can be roughly divided into five geographical regions:
1.Central plateau
2. Namib Desert.
3. Big Ledge (Mountain system)
4. Bushveld
5. Kalahari Desert
In each of them characteristic conditions, vegetation.
Central Plateau
The central plateau runs north to south and borders the famous Skeleton Coast. To the northwest of the plateau is the Namib Desert. To the southwest of the plateau are the coastal plains. To the south of the plateau flows the Orange River, and to the east is the Kalahari Desert. Located in the central plateau highest point Namibia Brandberg mountain
Namib Desert
The Namib Desert is a huge, ultra-arid area of endless sand dunes. The desert stretches along the entire coast of Namibia. The width of the desert is different areas from 100 to several hundred kilometers in width. The Skeleton Coast also belongs to the Namib Desert region.
Scientists believe that the Namib Desert is the oldest in the world. The sand dunes are created by the Atlantic winds that have blown here for centuries. Therefore, the Namib is known as the desert with the highest sand dunes. Also in this area there is a collision of the hot African climate with the cold Atlantic fogs. This mixture creates strong fogs that cover the desert.
The area contains rich marine and coastal resources that have not yet been explored.
Big Ledge
A large ledge rapidly soars upward for more than 2 kilometers. Temperatures in the mountains are colder in areas closer to the Atlantic Ocean. Although the soil in these areas is rocky, it is still much more fertile than the Namib Desert. However, strong winds in these areas make farming almost impossible.
Bushveld
The bushveld is located in the northeast of Namibia, on the border with Angola. This area receives large quantity precipitation than in any other territory. Average precipitation is 400 mm. In year. The land here is mostly flat, but sandy. Therefore, moisture is poorly retained in the ground and agriculture in these regions is difficult.
Kalahari
The Kalahari Desert is located on the territory of three countries: Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. This desert is one of the most famous places Namibia. The Kalahari is very diverse and the sands here give way to greenery. More than 5,000 plant species grow here. Almost half of them grow nowhere else except the Kalahari. 10% of succulents grow here (plants with a special structure that retain water well). The weather in the Kalahari Desert is very stable.
Climate
The climate in Namibia, depending on the areas, can be
Subhumid (semi-humid) (over 500 mm of precipitation).
Semi-arid (from 300 to 500 mm. precipitation).
Arid climate (150-300 mm. precipitation)
Super-harid climate (less than 100 mm.)
Temperatures fluctuate greatly depending on changes in altitude.
Namibia is located in subtropical latitudes, so these places are characterized by high pressure, with frequent clear skies. Every year there are more than 300 sunny days a year. Winter (June-August) is generally dry. Namibia experiences two rainy seasons. One of them is from September to November, and the second is from February to April. In other months the humidity is low. Average precipitation ranges from almost zero in the coastal desert to more than 600 mm in the Caprivi. Droughts are common in Namibia. The last weak rainy season, with much below average rainfall, occurred in the summer of 2006/07.
Weather and climate in coastal zone cold due to the Bengal Current. Atlantic Ocean. There is often thick fog over the water and it is much colder here than on the shore. Sometimes in winter a phenomenon called Bergwind (German for “mountain wind”) or Oosweer (Afrikaans for “eastern weather”) occurs: when a hot, dry, strong wind blows from the continental part into the ocean. Sometimes these winds turn into sandstorms that are blown into the ocean. Satellite images show sandy deposits on the Atlantic Ocean floor that were caused by the Bergwind.
In the area of the central plateau and Kalahari, the average daily temperature reaches 30 degrees.
The northern part of Namibia suffers from rains and subsequent floods. They not only destroy infrastructure, but also often result in loss of life. As a rule, the epicenter of rainfall and flooding is located in neighboring Angola. However, in March 2011, there was severe flooding in Namibia which forced the evacuation of 21,000 people.
The territory of Namibia is very arid. Rivers with water all year round found only on the borders with South Africa, Angola, Zambia and Botswana. There are no rivers in the interior of Namibia that have water all year round. As a rule, they dry out in the summer. There are several reservoirs in Namibia. In areas remote from reservoirs and rivers, people use groundwater. 80% of the country's territory is provided with water only in this way. Groundwater is even used in the agricultural industry.
More than 100,000 wells have been drilled in Namibia to extract water.
Nature conservation in Namibia
Namibia is one of the few countries in the world whose Constitution states the state's duty to protect nature. Article 95 states: “The State shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting international policies aimed at: maintaining the ecosystems, essential ecological processes and biological diversity of Namibia, and using living natural resources in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all Namibians.
In 1993, the newly formed Namibian government received funding from the US Agency for international development. Ministry of Security environment and Tourism Namibia, with financial support from organizations such as USAID, Wildlife Fund, WWF and the Canada Mission Fund, together form a structure for the protection of nature and the rational use of natural resources. Main goal of this project is to promote sustainable management natural resources, providing local communities with environmental and tourism opportunities.
Politics and government
Namibia is a unitary presidential democratic republic. The President of Namibia is elected for a five-year term and is the head of state and head of government. However, while the president is the head of state and government, all members of the government are individually and collectively accountable to the legislature.
The Namibian Constitution guarantees the separation of powers:
Executive power is exercised by the president and the government.
Legislative branch: Namibia has a bicameral parliament with a National Assembly (lower house) and a National Council (upper house).
Judicial power is exercised by a system of courts.
Although the Constitution provides for a multi-party system for the government of Namibia, the SWAPO party has been dominant since independence in 1990.
International relationships
Namibia pursues a largely independent foreign policy, maintaining friendly relations with those countries that helped Namibia in the struggle for independence. For example with Cuba. With a small army and a fragile economy, the Namibian government's main foreign policy concern is strengthening ties within the Southern Africa Region. Namibia is a strong proponent of greater regional integration. Namibia became the 160th member of the UN on April 23, 1990.
Namibia does not have any enemies in the region, although it is involved in various disputes regarding borders and building plans. The country, despite its peaceful attitude towards other states, consistently spends a large percentage of GDP on the army. Namibia spends more on military personnel than any neighbor except Angola. Military spending rose from 2.7% of GDP in 2000 to 3.7% in 2009. In 2006-2008, in a short time, Namibia became the largest importer of weapons to the South of the Sahara. By 2015, military spending was already close to 5% of GDP.
According to the Namibian Constitution, the role of the army is “to defend the territory and national interests" The modern Namibian Defense Force (NDF) consists of former enemies, which were located different sides barricades during the civil war.
After independence, the UN Kenyan Infantry Regiment was sent to Namibia, which within three months trained the NDF and participated in the stabilization of the northern territories.
Administrative division
Namibia is divided into 14 regions and subdivided into 121 electoral districts.
Regional councilors (governors) are directly elected by secret ballot. Voting is carried out among residents of this district
Local governments can be in the form of municipalities, town councils and villages.
Economy
The economy of Namibia is closely related to that of South Africa due to their shared history. The largest sectors of Namibia's economy are mining (10.4% of GDP), agriculture (5% of GDP), manufacturing (13.5% of GDP) and tourism.
What is very uncharacteristic for African countries is that Namibia has a well-developed banking sector. It has a modern infrastructure that includes online banking, banking applications for mobile phones and other applications of modern technologies. The regulator is Central bank Namibia (The Bank of Namibia or BoN). There are 5 commercial banks licensed in Namibia: “B ank Windhoek", "First National Bank", "Nedbank", "Standard Bank" And Small and Medium Enterprises Bank.
According to a study conducted by the Namibian Ministry of Labor in 2012, the country's unemployment rate is 27.4%. According to similar studies, in 2000 its level was 20.2%, in 2004 – 36.7%, and in 2008 – 29.4%. According to the Minister of Labor and Social Security, the most comprehensive, honest and objective study was conducted in 2008.
In 2004, the Labor Law was passed to protect people from discrimination at work due to pregnancy and HIV/AIDS status. In early 2010, the government announced that “100% of all unskilled and semi-skilled workers must be employed. Without exception."
In 2013, global leading financial information provider Bloomberg named Namibia the best emerging market economy in Africa and one of the top 13 in the world. Only 4 African countries got into the Top 20, and Namibia overtook countries such as Morocco (19th place), South Africa (15th place) and Zambia (14th place). Namibia surpassed countries such as Hungary, Brazil and Mexico. The rating was compiled based on more than 10 criteria. The data is based on Bloomberg's own financial analytics, forecasts from the IMF and the World Bank. Countries were rated in areas such as ease of doing business, level of corruption and economic freedom. To attract investment, the government began to fight bureaucracy and as a result, the level of bureaucracy in Namibia is one of the lowest in the world. In terms of doing business, Namibia ranks 87 out of 185 countries.
The cost of living in Namibia is relatively high because most goods, including crops, are bought abroad. In some sectors of the economy, there is a business monopoly, which provokes unnatural price increases in order to extract greater profits. Namibia's capital, Windhoek, currently ranks 150th in the world's most expensive places in the world for foreigners to live in.
Taxation in Namibia includes income tax, which applies to any person. Namibia has a progressive tax scale, which is based on income. How more people earns, the greater the percentage he pays to the state. There is also a value added tax (VAT). It applies to most commodities and services.
Despite the remote nature of much of the territory, Namibia has sea ports, airports, highways and railways. The country strives to become regional transport hub; Namibia has an important seaport through which sea communications are carried out with several neighbors. The Central Plateau has long served as a transport corridor from the densely populated states of the North to South Africa. By the way, it is with South Africa that Namibia has the closest trade ties: Republic of South Africa provides 80% of Namibia's imports.
Agriculture
About half the population depends on agriculture (mostly subsistence agriculture). However, Namibia still imports some food products. Although Namibia's GDP per capita is five times that of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's population lives in rural areas and subsistence living. Namibia has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world. Partly because there is a developed urban economy and a poor rural one. In Namibia, only 1% of the land is suitable for agriculture, but almost half of the total population works on it.
About 4,000 farmers own almost all of Namibia's arable land. Remarkably, almost all of them are white. The Namibian government plans to carry out land reform, with the support of Germany and the UK. The purpose of the reform is to distribute these lands among black Namibians.
The reform will be carried out through the privatization of several large enterprises. These changes are expected to attract additional foreign capital.
Groundwater has been discovered in northern Namibia. According to experts, the volume of water is 7720 cubic meters. km and is capable of providing water to 800,000 people for 400 years.
Mining and electricity
Mining is the only true friend economy of Namibia. It provides 25% of the country's total income. Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel fossil fuels from Africa. Namibia is also the fourth largest exporter of uranium in the world. Rich deposits of alluvial diamonds make Namibia one of the main suppliers of the jewelry world. In addition, tungsten, lead, gold, tin, plastic spar, manganese, marble, copper and zinc are mined in Namibia. There are also gas fields in Namibia's offshore domains that are still undeveloped. Almost all diamonds go through De Beers. As journalists described this situation: “De Beers will agree with any government, because Namibia will not survive without this income.”
As for the electrical industry, electricity in the country is produced by thermal and hydroelectric power plants. The Namibian government plans to build the first nuclear power plant by 2018. The country uses a voltage standard of 220V AC.
Tourism in Namibia
Tourism is very important industry in Namibia (14.5% of the state’s GDP), creating tens of thousands of jobs (18.2% of the population works in the hospitality sector). Namibia's tourism industry serves more than a million holidaymakers per year. The country is one of the most popular destinations ecotourism, thanks to Namibia's vast wilderness.
Namibia has a large number of reservation for ecotourism. Also, sport hunting is actively developing on the territory of the state, which already in 2000 accounted for 14% of the total volume of tourism services or $19.6 million in monetary terms. Namibia boasts a good reputation and growing demand among sport hunters from all over the world. Many other non-standard types of tourism are also developing, such as sandboarding, skydiving and off-road racing. In many cities in Namibia there are companies that organize similar types of recreation.
Most popular places Among the tourists: Windhoek, Caprivi, Fish River Canyon, Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei, Etosha Salt Flats, Sesriem Canyon and the coastal cities of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
Windhoek is located in the center of the country and is also located here international Airport. All this makes the capital an important transport hub in the tourism sector of Namibia. According to the Namibian Ministry of Tourism, 56% of all foreign tourists visited Windhoek. Many government and semi-government agencies manage the resorts wildlife, involved in organizing tourism, as well as the Namibia Tourism Board, are located in Windhoek, so like it or not, many guests of the country have to get acquainted with the capital. There are also some international hotel chains here such as Avani and Hilton/
The regulator in the tourism sector is the Namibia Tourism Council, which was formed in 2000. The main functions of the Council are the development of tourism and tourism infrastructure in the country. Also involved in tourism issues are such organizations as the Namibia Tourism Association, the Association of Travel Agents, the Namibian Safari Association and the Namibian Federation of Travel Associations.
Water supply and sanitation
The main supplier of water in Namibia is the company NamWater, which sells water to municipalities, who then sell it to the population. There is also a separate government structure, which deals with water supply in rural areas and forest areas.
According to the UN, by 2011, Namibia's population's access to water had significantly improved (compared to 1990). However, water remains poorly accessible to a large portion of the population due to high prices and long distances to water supply points in some rural areas. Therefore, wells are common in rural areas.
Sanitation levels in Namibia are poor. 298 schools in the country do not have toilets. 50% of child deaths are related to lack of water or poor sanitation. About 23% of deaths among children are due to diarrhea. The UN has described the situation in Namibia as a "Sanitation Crisis".
If among the richest residents and the middle class, problems with lack of water and hygiene do not exist. However, there are entire residential areas where a regular toilet is a luxury. In many areas of Namibia, “flying toilets” are common - plastic bags for defecation that are then thrown away. Going to the toilet on the street is completely normal in most of Namibia.
Population
Namibia has one of the lowest population densities. Less - only in Mongolia. Most of The population speaks Bantu dialects. Mostly in the Ovambo language, which is used in the north of the country. Namibia is also home to large Herero and Himba populations who speak Bantu and Damara languages, which use the Nama language.
Although the majority of Namibia's population is Bantu, it is home to the Khoisan people, who are the indigenous people of southern Africa.
Descendants of refugees from Angola also live in Namibia. Small groups of the so-called also live here. Colored people (that’s what they are usually called here), the so-called. brown blacks, a mixture of Europeans, Africans and Asians and a separate variety of Coloreds - busters (descendants of the Dutch colonialists, Calvinists). In total, these 2 groups make up about 8% of the population. There is also a small group of Chinese living in Namibia.
Whites make up 4 to 7% of the population. They are predominantly Afrikaners of German, British or Portuguese origin. Gradually, the white population in Namibia is decreasing due to low birth rates and emigration. However, it is one of the largest sub-Saharan white communities (only South Africa has more). Almost all whites speak Afrikaans and share the cultural and religious values of the rest of the population. About 30,000 whites have German roots and still maintain their national identity. Almost all whites of Portuguese descent are refugees from Angola.
The population census in Russia takes place every 10 years. The first census was in 1991, after independence. Accordingly, subsequent censuses took place in 2001 and 2011. Namibia is undergoing a de facto census, i.e. All residents are counted, regardless of citizenship. There are 4,042 census locations that are intentionally not congruent with electoral districts (to provide more reliable data to avoid electoral fraud).
From 2001 to 2011, the average population growth was 1.4%. This is less than in the previous decade: from 1991 to 2001 the average increase was 2.6%
Religion
About 90% of Namibia's population are Christians. Of these, 75% are Protestants. And at least half of all Christians are Lutherans. This largest religious group is a consequence of the work of missionaries from Germany and Finland during the colonial period. About 10% of the population believes in traditional indigenous religions.
Missionary activity in the second half of the 19th century led to many Namibians converting to Christianity. Today most Christians are Lutheran, but also Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, African Methodist Episcopalian, Dutch Reformed and Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of the Modern Saints).
There are also about 100 Jews living in Namibia.
Language
Until 1990, Namibia had 3 official languages: English, German and African American. Long before independence, SWAPO supporters developed the theory that having a large number of official languages was a deliberate policy that led to contradictions in society. As an example, they cited the territory of South Africa, where there were 11 official languages. Eventually
Until 1990, English, German and Afrikaans were the official languages. Long before Namibia's independence from South Africa, SWAPO opined that the country should become officially interpretive by choosing this approach, in contrast to that of its neighbor South Africa (which has granted all 11 official status to its major languages), which it sees as a "deliberate policy of ethnolinguistic fragmentation " therefore SWAPO is instituted English language as the only official language Namibia, although only about 3% of the population speaks it as a mother tongue. Its implementation focuses on the civil service, education and broadcasting systems. Some other languages have received semi-official recognition and are accepted as a medium of instruction in primary schools. Private schools are expected to follow the same policies as government schools, and English is a compulsory subject. as in other post-colonial African societies, the impetus for explanatory instructions and policies led to high level school dropouts and persons whose academic competence in any language is low.
Sports in Namibia
Most popular view sport in Namibia - football. The Namibia national football team competed in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. But the level of the game does not even allow us to hope to reach the finals of the World Cup.
The strongest athletes from Namibia are rugby players. Namibia has participated in five World Cups: 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Cricket is also popular in Namibi and the Namibian national team played in the 2003 World Cup.
Since 1995, Namibia has simply become obsessed with roller hockey. This sport is incredibly popular. The women's team even participated in the World Cup in 2008.
Namibia also hosts one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world.
Namibia's most famous sprinter is Frank Fredericks, a 100 and 200 meter sprinter. He won 4 silver medals in 1992 and 1996, as well as a number of medals at the athletics championships.
There is a large parachuting club in Swakopmund.
Mass media
Namibia's population is small, but nevertheless mass media there's quite a lot here. There are 2 television stations, 19 radio stations, 5 newspapers, several daily newspapers and weekly magazines. In addition, many South African media are available in Namibia. Online media as a separate category are in their infancy and largely copy publications from print media.
Namibia's oldest newspaper, German-language Windhoeker Anzeiger, was founded in 1898. Radio appeared in 1969 and television in 1981. Under German rule, the media mainly reported on the lives of the white minority, while blacks were either ignored or portrayed as a threat. Journalists who tried to look at things from a different point of view were persecuted.
Most influential newspapers: The Namibian (English and others) Die Republikein (Afrikaans), Allgemeine Zeitung (German) and Namibian Sun (English), as well as the state-owned New Era (mainly English). Most of the newspapers belong to large media holdings of the Democratic Party.
Radio broadcasting is dominated by state-owned companies. The largest radio station is National Radio, which broadcasts in English as well as nine local languages. Radio Omulunga and Kosmos 94.1 broadcast in Afrikaans. There are only two TV channels in Namibia. One is public, the second is private.
Compared to its neighbors Namibia high degree freedom of the media. Typically, Namibia ranks in the quarter of countries with the freest press (this study is conducted by Reporters Without Borders. The highest position is 21, in 2010. Namibia then shared it with Canada. However, the influence of the economy and the state still remains insignificant.
Education
In Namibia, school education is free. From 1st to 7th grade is considered entry level. From 8 to 12 – average. In 1998 in primary school 400,000 children studied and another 115,000 in secondary education. There are 32 students per teacher. About 8% of GDP is spent on education. Development of programs, plans, pedagogical research are carried out National Institute Development of Education in Okahandja.
Most of the schools are state-run. There are also private schools that are part of the education system. Namibia has 3 colleges of agriculture, 1 police college and 2 universities: the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia University of Technology (NUST).
Healthcare
Namibia has one of the lowest life expectancies: 52.2 years
Since 2012, Namibia has launched a program to improve the health situation. 4,800 health workers were trained in 6-month courses in areas such as first aid, preventive health, proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, HIV testing and general antiviral treatment.
The biggest health problems facing Namibians are high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
The HIV epidemic is a major health problem in Namibia, despite significant progress in treatment and prevention. In 2001, there were approximately 210,000 people with this diagnosis. In 2003, HIV killed 16,000 people.
Due to the HIV crisis, a comprehensive national health survey was organized in 2013.
Another problem in Namibia is malaria. Moreover, the incidence of HIV-infected people is 14.5% higher than that of HIV-negative people. The risk of death from malaria in HIV-positive people is almost 50% higher.
In 2002, there were only 598 doctors working in Namibia
