AEGiS: Republic of Namibia

Map of Namibia, Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Local time in Windhoek:

Facts and Figures

Official Name Republic of Namibia.

Capital City Windhoek.

Languages English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama.

Official Currency Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR).

Ethnic Groups Black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%. Note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%.

Religions Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%.

Population 1,820,916. Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.).

Land Area 824,290 sq km (318,260 sq miles).

History

South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Independence came in 1990.

UNAIDS Epidemiological
Fact Sheets

[English]

[French]

Global Surveillance of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a joint effort of WHO and UNAIDS. The UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance, initiated in November 1996, guides respective activities. The primary objective of the working group is to strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STIs. For this purpose, the working group collaborates closely with national AIDS programmes and a number of national and international experts and institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to compile the best information available and to improve the quality of data needed for informed decision-making and planning at national, regional and global levels. The Epidemiological Fact Sheets are one of the products of this close and fruitful collaboration across the globe.

Web sites

U.S. Government Agencies

World Fact Book: The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO).
US Department of State - Travel Advisory: Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.
AIDS in Namibia: In FY 2001, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a new program designed to assist Namibia in its multisectoral HIV/AIDS prevention and care efforts. Originally designed to target only one key geographic region (including Walvis Bay and neighboring coastal areas), the USAID program was redesigned in conjunction with the Government of Namibia to counteract the burgeoning spread of HIV/AIDS across a wider geographic area.

Namibia:

University of Namibia and HIV/AIDS: The University of Namibia was established by an act of Parliament on August 31, 1992 as recommended by a Commission on Higher Education. In accordance with the National Development Plan (NDP1), and indeed its motto: "Education, Service and Development", the University's programmes are designed to meet national human resources requirements through quality teaching, research, consultancy, and community services.

United Nations:

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS: The goal of UNAIDS is to catalyse, strengthen and orchestrate the unique expertise, resources, and networks of influence that each of these organizations offers. Working together through UNAIDS, the Cosponsors expand their outreach through strategic alliances with other United Nations agencies, national governments, corporations, media, religious organizations, community-based groups, regional and country networks of people living with HIV/AIDS, and other nongovernmental organizations.
United Nations Development Programme: The most important and far-reaching developmental crisis facing Namibia today is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Due to the political and social isolation experienced by Namibia and South Africa during the 1980s, the pandemic started later here than it did in neighbouring Zambia, Zimbabwe or Botswana. However, after nearly 20 years, the HIV/AIDS crisis in Namibia, as in the Southern African region generally, continues to rage.

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Namibia

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Map of Namibia courtesy of WorldAtlas.Com. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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