Namibia 101

Hey everybody! So I'm less than a month away from my departure to Namibia (in fact, I'm 18 days away from my staging in Philadelphia). Time since quitting my job at the Atkins House has flown by! Dan and I spent a wonderful 12 days in Puerto Rico; after he proposed I told him that one day we will have a house in Puerto Rico... That's non-negotiable so he better get acquainted with the island! Of course he loved it and so did I. Now I'm back in Binghamton spending some time with him and my family and friends up here until I go. I decided it would be a good time to write another post in my blog to get my readers familiarized with my soon-to-be home of 2 years! So here goes...

Most people, when I tell them I'm going to Namibia, say "Oh..." with a semi-blank stare, then after a moment, say, "Where's that?" When I got my invitation letter from the Peace Corps telling me I would be going to Namibia, I must say that I knew nothing more about the country than that it was in Sub-Saharan Africa and Angelina Jolie either gave birth to or adopted a baby there. But in that time I've been doing my research, trying to learn as much about my country of service as possible, and thought I'd bring you all a quick summary of all the basics... (Source: www.wikipedia.org)

Namibia is located in Sub-Saharan Africa (this just means south of the Sahara Desert). It is on the south-western edge of the continent, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West, then, going clockwise, Angola, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. The capital city is Windhoek (pronounced vihnd-hook or vihn-took), which is also the largest city with a population of around 268,000 people. It is the second least densely populated country in the world (around 2.1 million people), after Mongolia. The population is 93% black and 7% white, the white being mainly Afrikaners (Afrikaner is an ethnic group in Southern Africa descending from Dutch, French, and German settlers to the area in the 17th and 18th centuries). The official language is English, but other recognized languages include German, Rukwangali, Silozi, Setswana, Damara/Nama, Afrikaans, Herero, and Oshiwambo. Namibia is 318,696 square miles, roughly twice the size of California.

Namibia's President is Hifikepunye Pohamba, of the Southwest African People's Organization (SWAPO). Their Prime Minister is Nahas Angula. Namibia first became its own country in 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence where it gained independence from South Africa. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations. Before its independence, Namibia was a territory of South Africa (1920 to 1990) where it was subject to Apartheid from 1948 until independence. Before being a territory of South Africa, it was a German Colony from 1884 until the end of World War I (when it was mandated to South Africa by the League of Nations).

Agriculture, herding, tourism, and mining are major industries in the country. Mining is the biggest contributor of revenue; commodities include diamond, uranium, copper, gold, lead, zinc, cement, and petroleum. Namibia's coastal deserts are some of the richest sources of diamonds in the world, including Skeleton Coast and Diamond Coast. Half the population in Namibia is below the poverty line, making the equivalent of less than $1.25 USD a day. It was estimated in 2007 that approximately 15% of the population is HIV positive, which is a huge problem for Namibia both health-wise and economy-wise.

Namibia is named for the Namib Desert which runs through it, considered to be the oldest desert in the world. You can visit this desert and even go sandboarding there! (This is basically snowboarding but on Namibia's giant sand dunes). Namibia is mostly very hot and dry, with a small rainy season from September to November and a large one from February to April. Namibia has more than 300 days of sun every year.

Religion in Namibia is mainly Christian. 80 to 90 percent of Namibians are Christian and about 10 to 20 percent hold indigenous beliefs. About 50% of the Christian population is Lutheran, the largest denomination. Namibia has fairly decent freedom of media, on par with Canada according to Reporters without Borders statistics. The most popular sport is association football, known in the U.S. as soccer. Other popular sports include rugby and cricket.

And as of March 16, 2012, it will be my new home for 2 years! Hope everybody reading learned a little something, apologies if I blogged your eyes off! Thanks again everyone, my family, friends, and my fiancé Dan, for your awesome support for me doing this! It's getting close now, and I'm really excited but also a little nervous. It's a big change... it will certainly be an experience to remember my whole life!
Stay tuned for updates! I love you all!! <3


A map of Namibia. You can see the capital, Windhoek, in the center.