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Namibia fact sheet


SIZE: Namibia is the 15th largest country in Africa. It is two-thirds the size of South Africa. Including Walvis Bay, Namibia is 824 268 square kilometres.


POPULATION: About one and a half million people live in Namibia. 70% of the population live in the North.! 


BIGGEST CITY: Windhoek (120 000 people)


LANGUAGES: Oshivambo is spoken by half the population. Other languages are Kwanyama, Herero, Nama, English, Afrikaans, German. At the moment, English and Afrikaans are the official languages.


INCOME PER PERSON: In the towns, white people earn 12 times more than black people and in the rural areas, whites earn 25 times more than blacks.


RELIGION: 70% of the population are Christians and belong to the Lutheran church, the Roman Catholic church or the Anglican church.


ECONOMY: a)Main Exports and Imports: The main exports are uranium, diamonds, other minerals and cattle.Namibia’s main imports are food, drink, petrol, fuel, machinery, equipment and vehicles. Namibia’s main trading partners are South Africa, Switzerland and West Germany. b)Main Industries: The main industries are fish processing, meat canning, production of mining equipment and tyre remoulding. c)Minerals, Agriculture and Fishing: The main minerals are diamonds, copper, salt, silver, lead and uranium.There is cattle and sheep farming. The pelts of the Karakul sheep are exported.The main food crops are millet, maize, wheat, vegetables, cotton and sorghum. Fish caught in Namibian waters include mackerel, anchovy, herring, pilchard and lobster.


EDUCATION: In 1981, less than 2% of black adults had reached secondary school. Only 1% of adults had completed secondary school, while 12% had completed primary school. 60% of the people could read and write in 1980.


HEALTH: Black people are expected to live between 42 and 52 years and white people between 68 and 72 years.

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