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Geography of Namibia

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
Land boundaries:total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline:1,572 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain:mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m
Natural resources:diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore
Land use:arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99% (2005)
Irrigated land:80 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues:very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas
Environment - international agreements:party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

Namibia Quickstats

  • Population: 2,055,080
  • Area: 825,418 sq km
  • Density: 2.5 /km² (225th)
  • GDP (total): $15.14 billion (123rd)
  • GDP (per capita): $7,478 (83rd)
  • Literacy: 85%

Languages of Namibia

Useful to know

  • Currency: Namibian dollar (NAD)
  • Dial code: +264

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Namibia Internet

  • Usage: 75,000
  • Penetration: 3.6 %
  • Top Domain: .wa

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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