Simple directory > Regional > Namibia

Country : Namibia Official name: Republic of Namibia Head of State: President Hifikepunye Pohamba (Swapo) (sworn in 21 Mar 2005) Head of government: Prime Minister Nahas Angula (appointed by the President 21 Mar 2005) Ruling party: South West African People's Organisation (Swapo) Area: 824,269 square km Population: 1.97 million (2004) Capital: Windhoek Official language: English Currency: Namibian dollar (N$) = 100 cents; at par with the South African commercial Rand Exchange rate: N$6.12 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$1,594 (2003) GDP real growth: 4.00% (2003) Labour force: 800,000 (2003) Unemployment: 35.00% (2003) Inflation: 9.00% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$140.00 million (2003 Foreign debt: US$517.00 million (2003)

Historical profile

1884 Declared a German territory (except Walvis Bay, which was occupied in 1878 by the British).

1920 Mandated to South Africa by the League of Nations.

1958 The South West African People's Organisation (Swapo) formed from the anti-contract labour movement.

1966 South Africa introduced apartheid laws, the UN terminated its mandate and Swapo launched an armed struggle for independence.

1973 The UN withdrew its mandate and recognised Swapo as the `sole authentic representative of Namibian people'.

1985 South Africa established the Transitional Government (TG), an un-elected black majority government consisting of members of six different tribal parties, instructing it to draw up a constitution.

1988 South Africa turned down the TG's constitutional draft; independence was agreed by South Africa, Angola, Cuba, (the then) USSR and USA.

1989 Free and fair elections were held under the auspices of the UN. South Africa withdrew its forces. The Swapo leader, Sam Nujoma, formed a transitional ministerial team.

1990 Independence was granted and Nujoma became Namibia's first president.

1994 Walvis Bay and 12 offshore Penguin Islands were formally transferred from South African to Namibian sovereignty. In Namibia's first post independence presidential and National Assembly elections in December, Swapo and Nujoma defeated the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance party of Mishake Muyongo.

1999 President Sam Nujoma and the ruling Swapo won the presidential and legislative elections.

2002 President Sam Nujoma dismissed his prime minister, Hage Geingob and replaced him with Theo-Ben Gurirab, the former foreign minister

2003 Flood waters from the Zambezi River affected 10,000 villagers in the eastern Caprivi.

2004 In January, Germany expressed regret for the colonial-era killing of tens of thousands of ethnic Hereros.

2005 Hifikepunye Pohamba (Swapo) was sworn in as president on 21 March, taking over from Sam Nujoma who led the country to independence from South Africa; he appointed Nahas Angula as prime minister.

There's no web links here.