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NAMIBIA AN OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTRY |
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NAMIBIA AN OVERVIEW OF THE COUNTRY |
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Namibia (or the Republic of Namibia) is an 820,000
square kilometre country situated in southern Africa. Namibia
sits on the Atlantic Ocean with a cold current running along the
shore. Namibia's neighbours include South Africa (south,) Botswana (east,) Angola and Zambia (north) and point to Zimbabwe in the middle of the Zambezi River (far east.) The history of Namibia moves from pre-colonial people groups, the oldest being the Bushman (or San) and Nama groups. Other people later moved in, including various European groups. In 1884 Namibia became a German Protectorate, and then after 1915 it was administered by South Africa until Namibia's independence on 21 March 1990. Namibia's industry includes mining (especially diamonds, found already in 1908 and uranium,) fishing, agriculture and tourism. Namibia's currency, the Namibian Dollar (often represented as NAD) is pegged to the South African Rand. Conservation in Namibia. Namibia enjoys a huge amount of protected land with many national parks and recreation areas protecting a large portion of the country, creating a wonderful area for visitors to explore. There are a growing number of private conservation areas as well as community conservation initiatives. Travel in Namibia is easy compared to many African countries. There is the option of self-driving, doing flying safaris and also doing a tour with us!! What to bring on Safari with us: Binoculars (dry open country, so you need good magnification - 10x is good; field guides for your own use; bring both warm cloths and summer cloths - weather can be difficult to judge but generally it is very hot in mid summer, and in places temperatures in winter will reach -5°C. |
Landscape and topography in Namibia. The western
stretch of the country on the Atlantic ocean is the Namib Desert.
Inland in the south there is Dwarf Shrub Savannas (or Karoo) and
Kalahari savannas. In the north the country progressively
moves into Woodland areas with the only permanent rivers found in
the guitar handle shaped Caprivi Strip and on the north and the
Orange river on the southern
borders of the country. There are mountains, of which the
Brandberg is the highest at 2700 meters. Wildlife in Namibia includes the so called 'big five' and other high profile game - lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffe, buffalos, leopards and cheetahs. Namibia also has very special wildlife, including Cape Fur Seals on the coast, desert adapted Oryx and Springbok, Mountain Zebras and small things like the Grant's Golden Mole, Damara Dik Diks, desert lizards and a host of interesting birds, such as the Dune Lark. People. With less than 2 million people, Namibia has a lot of open space. There are several groups of European origin such as German speaking people. Indigenous people groups include various Bushman groups, the Hereros, Himbas, Ovambos, Damaras and Namas. Namibians are well know for being friendly people, making Namibia a safe and friendly country to visit. Special Places in Namibia: Sossusvlei (and the Namib in general,) Swakopmund, Etosha, Twyfelfontein, Caprivi, Fish River Canyon. Seasons and weather Namibia is accessible to travellers year round. The rainy season may be a bit off putting to some, but for the nature enthusiast, it's the best time - everything is alive.
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