Southern Africa · AfricaNamibia
Discover Namibia - where the world's oldest desert meets the Skeleton Coast, elephants roam sand dunes, and some of the darkest night skies on Earth await stargazers.
Where Is Namibia?
Namibia is a country in Southern Africa. Its capital is Windhoek.
- Capital Windhoek
- Population 3.09M
- Area 825,615 km²
Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries on Earth, and it looks like it. The Namib Desert, which gave the country its name, is the oldest desert in the world - it has been arid for at least 55 million years. The sand dunes at Sossusvlei rise over 300 meters, their red and orange flanks among the tallest on the planet. The Skeleton Coast is a fog-shrouded graveyard of shipwrecks where the Namib meets the Atlantic in waves of cold Benguela current. Etosha National Park is a vast salt pan surrounded by waterholes where elephants, lions, rhinos, and giraffes gather in surreal concentrations. The night skies, unmarred by light pollution, are among the finest on Earth.
The country that emerged from South African occupation in 1990 (making it one of the youngest nations in Africa) has built a reputation for stability, conservation, and doing more with less. Namibia was the first African country to incorporate environmental protection into its constitution, and its community conservancy program has become a global model. Desert-adapted elephants wander the dry riverbeds of Damaraland. The world's largest population of free-roaming cheetahs hunts on the central plateau. And Windhoek, the small, tidy capital, retains traces of its German colonial past in its architecture, beer, and bakeries.
At a glance
Largest cities in Namibia
Windhoek
Walvis Bay
Swakopmund
Rundu
Famous people from Namibia
Sam Nujoma
PoliticsFather of the Namibian nation who led the independence struggle against South African occupation for 30 years and became the first president in 1990
Hage Geingob
PoliticsNamibia's third president and key architect of the constitution, known for his role in building the post-independence democratic framework
Frankie Fredericks
SportFour-time Olympic silver medalist in sprinting (100m and 200m), Namibia's most decorated athlete and one of the greatest sprinters of the 1990s
Neshani Andreas
LiteratureAuthor of The Purple Violet of Oshaantu, the first novel published in English by a Namibian woman, exploring rural Owambo life
Traditional cuisine of Namibia
- Potjiekos
- Slow-cooked stew in a three-legged cast-iron pot over coals, layered with meat and vegetables, a beloved braai tradition shared with South Africa
- Kapana
- Grilled meat strips sold at open-air markets, seasoned with chili and served with tomato salsa, Namibia's most popular street food
- Biltong
- Air-dried spiced meat that is a national obsession, available in game varieties from kudu to oryx alongside traditional beef
- Oshifima
- Thick pearl millet porridge that is the staple food of northern Namibia, served with meat stews, spinach, or sour milk
- Mopane Worms
- Dried caterpillars of the emperor moth harvested from mopane trees, a protein-rich traditional snack eaten fried or in stews
Nature and landmarks in Namibia
- SossusvleiDesert
- Iconic red sand dunes rising over 300 meters in the world's oldest desert, with the haunting dead camel thorn trees of Deadvlei at their base
- Etosha National ParkNational Park
- Vast salt pan surrounded by waterholes that draw extraordinary concentrations of elephants, lions, rhinos, and hundreds of other species
- Skeleton CoastCoast
- Fog-shrouded Atlantic coastline littered with shipwrecks and bleached whale bones, where desert-adapted lions hunt seals on the beach
- Fish River CanyonCanyon
- Second-largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, a 160-kilometer gash through ancient rock in Namibia's far south
- DamaralandDesert
- Rugged landscape of ancient rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, petrified forests, and rare desert-adapted elephants roaming dry riverbeds
Sports in Namibia
- Football
- The Brave Warriors have competed in AFCON tournaments and the sport is hugely popular across the country
- Athletics
- Frankie Fredericks won four Olympic silver medals in sprinting, and Namibia continues to produce competitive sprinters on the world stage
- Rugby Union
- The Welwitschias have qualified for the Rugby World Cup multiple times, punching above their weight as one of Africa's top rugby nations
Did you know?
The Namib Desert is the oldest desert in the world at approximately 55-80 million years old, predating the Sahara by tens of millions of years
Namibia was the first country in Africa to incorporate environmental protection into its constitution when it gained independence in 1990
The Hoba meteorite near Grootfontein is the largest known meteorite on Earth, weighing about 60 tons and never having been moved from where it fell
Namibia has one of the lowest population densities in the world, with roughly 3 people per square kilometer
The quiver trees (kokerboom) in southern Namibia are not actually trees but giant aloe plants that can live for over 300 years
Namibia's community conservancy program has increased wildlife populations dramatically - the country now has the world's largest free-roaming cheetah population
Read more about Namibia
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Can you find Namibia on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Namibia and its neighbours without a second thought.
