Namibia February 15, 2001 Namibia can be divided into three regions, plateau, desert, and sand dunes. The climate is continental tropical and very dry. Daily temperatures on the plateau and in the Kalahari may differ by as much as 50 F. The territory suffers from prolonged periodic droughts. The vegetation is generally non-existent except in the far north. Namibia's widely varied animal life includes lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, and antelope. The country's most famous game reserve is the Etosha National Park, one of the largest in the world. Namibia has extensive deposits of valuable minerals. Rich deposits of alluvial diamonds exist in southern Namibia and of uranium, tin, and tungsten in central Namibia; there are copper deposits in the north. The exploitation of gold and natural gas is increasing in significance. There are also known deposits of lead, zinc, cadmium, lithium, and silver. The San people inhabited what is now Namibia more than 2000 years ago. The Bantu speaking Herero migrated there in the 1600s. The Ovambo, the largest ethnic group today, migrated there in the 1800s. In the late 15th century the Portugese first visited Namibia. Formerly called southwest Africa. The territory became a German colony in 1884. The land was again taken by South African forces in 1915, becoming a South African mandate in 1920. In 1968 the UN called for South Africa's withdrawl from the territory, which was then given the name Namibia. On June 17,1985 a new multi-racial administration was handed limited powers by South Africa. Elections were held in November 1989 to establish a new constituent assembly to establish a new government. Fifty-seven percent of the vote went to SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma who took office when Namibia became independant on March 21, 1990. Namibia is a multiparty democracy with one legislative house, the National Assembly, which has 72 directly elected members with five-year terms. The constitution emphasizes human rights and separation of powers. There is a president, a prime minister, and a cabinet, all responsible to the Assembly. There is an independent judiciary. A second house, the National Council, represents the 13 regions and revises and blocks Assembly legislation. The army is mainly made of people from the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), who fought for independence. The police are mainly police from colonial times. The number of police is about the same as the number in the army. Crime is high in Namibia. Namibia belongs to the Organization of African Unity and the Southern African Development Coordination Conference. It also is a Commonwealth country and belongs to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The economy of Namibia is based on agriculture on the production and export of diamonds and minerals. Agriculture accounts for almost one-sixth of Gross Domestic Product. It employs one-fifth of the population and is dominated by commercial farming of cattle karakul sheep for export. There is also some subsistence and other farming. Mineral industries account for over one-fifth of GDP and center on diamonds uranium and zinc. Manufacturing industries account for about one-fifteenth of the GDP and center on processing fish and beef for export, food processing, brewing, and metal fabrication. The population of Namibia is 1,771,327; it is a stage one country. The population growth is 1.57 percent; the death rate is 20 per 1000 people. The life expectancy for men is forty-four years, and for women is 40 years. The literacy rate is Forty five percent of the male population and thirty one percent of the female population. For every six Namibian dollar is worth one United states dollar. Many holidays and festivals are observed most of these are religious or have historical significance. Sports are very popular in Namibia. Many are followed by the white community, but the black community mainly concentrates on soccer. The broadcast of Radio and television are owned by the government and so is one daily newspaper. All seem to have the freedom to express what they like. A growing number of parties, semi-party, and independent newspapers exist and are not subject to censorship, but their survival isn't very likely for economic reasons. There are also others, religious, trade union, and other specialized papers that also have total freedom in their writing. Eighty five percent of the population is black, five percent is European and ten percent is coloured (Nama and Rehobother) English is the national language, even though its the home language of only three percent of the population. Ovambo languages are spoken by about eighty percent of the population, followed by Nama-Damara which is six percent. Many Namibians speak two or more languages and at least a little of two of the three European languages. Current Events Fighting between the Armed forces of Angola and the National Union for the total Independence of Angola (UNITA) have moved through the border of Namibia into the northeastern regions. Many Namibian citizens have been injured or killed. All United States citizens in the area have been urged to leave and tourists have been urged to avoid the area and political rallies or street demonstrations. The ongoing conflicts between Libya and Namibia are going to be consolidated. Periodic talks will be held to end conflicts. President Nujoma expressed the people's solidarity feelings with Libya on their causes. The leaders also agreed to continue efforts to bring peace and bilateral co-operation to the two nations. Conclusion Namibia is a stage one country. The literacy rate is an average of thirty eight percent. This shows me that it must not have a very good school system or a need for skilled workers. The African population speaks European languages over their own, even though Europeans are only three percent of the population. From this we can see the influence of European colonialism and that even though they are not official colonies anymore the influence and power over the native people is still there. Although they are considered an independant country Europeans are still controlling their way of every day life. This is also shown through the fact that eighty to ninty percent of the population is Christian, a religion that was brought by Europeans. The average life expectancy is forty-two years, which is very low compare to the United States at seventy-five. The living conditions cannot be very good; nutrition and health care information and services must not be available to most. I have concluded that Namibia is still a new country and needs a lot more time for economic growth and gaining stability so it can improve the life of its people through many improvements made over time. Bibliography Internet: www.britannica.com (Encyclopedia Britannica) www.odci.gov (CIA) travel.dk.com (World Desk Reference) www.namibianews.com (Namibia News)