The National Flag is a symbol of our struggle for national unity. It symbolises peace, unity and a common loyalty to Namibia. The national Flag represents the nation in every aspect.

• The SUN symbolises life and energy. The colour GOLD represents warmth and the colour of our plains and the Namib Desert.
• BLUE symbolises the Namibia sky, the Atlantic Ocean, our marine resources and the importance of rain and water.
• RED represents the Namibian people, their heroism and their determination to build a future of equal opportunity for all.
• WHITE refers to peace and unity.
• GREEN symbolises Namibia’s vegetation and agricultural

INTERESTING & USEFUL LINKS:

Namibia is demarcated into 14 regions, namely the Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi regions in the north; the Erongo, Otjozondjupa, Omaheke and Khomas regions in central Namibia; and the Hardap and Karas regions in the south.

Namibia is the 31st largest country in the world. It stretches for about 1,300km from south to north and varies from 480 to 930 km in width from west to east.

Namibia has a total road network of more than 64 189 km, including 5 477 km of tarred roads which link the country to Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The earliest inhabitants of Namibia were the San people, also known as Bushmen. A small number of their descendants still live in remote areas of the country, following a traditional, semi-nomadic lifestyle. The San originally lived in small, widespread groups of low population density, moving frequently. They were exceptionally well adapted to their harsh environment, and the many of their skills, passed down through the generations, are still practiced in some remote communities today. 

Over time, the San came under pressure from Khoi-Khoi (Hottentot) groups, ancestors of the present day Nama people, who are believed to have moved into Namibia from the south. The Khoi-Khoi relied on raising livestock rather than hunting for survival, and they were likely responsible for some of the oldest pottery fragments found in the archaeological record. Many San were absorbed into the Khoi-Khoi way of life, leading to the term “Khoisan” - an amalgamation referring to both original groups.

Bantu-speaking people began arriving in Namibia around 2,300 years ago, introducing iron-working and the first large-scale tribal structures in Southern African societies. Most Khoisan retreated further into the desert or into present-day Botswana, while those who remained in accessible areas risked enslavement. Around 1600 AD, Bantu-speaking cattle herders from the Zambezi region, later known as the Herero, settled in northern and western Namibia. Conflicts arose with the Khoisan over grazing land and water holes. Many Khoisan and Damara (whose origins remain uncertain) were displaced. The Nama maintained their presence mainly in the south. 

By the 1870's, a new Bantu group, the Wambo (Ovambo), probably descended from East African migrants, had settled in the far north along the Kunene and Okavango rivers. Today, the Aawambo people constitute the largest ethnic group in Namibia with many political leaders originating from this community.

Arrival of the first Europeans

The first Europeans to visit Namibia were the Portuguese explorers. A trading ship reached the coast in 1485, and Bartholomew Dias landed at Lüderitz in 1488 after rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Early European explorers found little incentive to establish settlements, and the coastline remained largely uninhabited by Europeans for centuries. Some Dutch explorers ventured into the interior from the Cape in the 1600s. The first recorded overland journey from the Cape across the Orange River was made by a Dutch elephant hunter in 1750, followed by traders, hunters, and missionaries.

In the 19th century, the Cape colony government placed Angra Pequena (the present-day Lüderitz) and Walvis Bay under its protection to counter perceived threats from British, American, and French interests. Christian missions were established from about 1805, with stations in Windhoek, Rehoboth, and Keetmanshoop by the mid-century. 

Colonial era and South African administration

Britain formally annexed the guano-rich islands off the coast near Lüderitz in 1867, and Walvis Bay in 1878—valued as Namibia’s only natural deep-water harbour. Germany soon emerged as a rival colonial power: in 1883, German merchant Adolf Lüderitz acquired land at Angra Pequena from a Nama chief. In 1884, Germany declared the area a protectorate, and boundaries were formalised in 1890 through agreements with Britain (Bechuanaland, now Botswana) and Portugal (Angola).

Germany’s colonial administration struggled to maintain control, and military forces arrived in the 1890s. Between the late 1890s and World War I, German authorities expropriated most Herero and Nama land, leading to violent uprisings—most notably the Herero and Nama genocide (1904–1908), in which tens of thousands perished.

During World War I, South African forces invaded in 1914 at Britain’s request. German forces surrendered at Khorab in 1915. In 1920, under a League of Nations mandate, South Africa took administrative control, encouraging white settlement and imposing segregation policies similar to apartheid. Indigenous communities were confined to designated “homelands”, limiting access to fertile land and resources.

Independence struggle

From the 1950s, international pressure on South Africa to relinquish Namibia grew, but South Africa retained control due to the territory’s mineral wealth and strategic location. By the 1970s, Namibia’s independence movement—led primarily by SWAPO (South West Africa People’s Organisation)—was gaining strength. Initially excluded from official talks, SWAPO later became recognised by the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Namibian people.

Fighting intensified in the 1980s, with South African forces engaged in a protracted border war against SWAPO guerrillas operating from Angola, supported by Cuban troops. A peace agreement was reached in 1988, linking Namibian independence with the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola.

Namibia became fully independent on 21 March 1990 under UN supervision, with SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma as its first president.

Today, Namibia has a population of about 3 million, with nearly half living in rural areas. Windhoek, the centrally located capital, hosts the Supreme Court, Parliament, international airport, museums, and galleries. Agriculture, mining, and tourism are major economic sectors, although much farming remains at a subsistence level due to arid conditions.

Namibia is a culturally diverse society with many ethnic groups. Among the oldest inhabitants are the San, known for their storytelling, music, mimicry, dance, and rich legacy of rock art. The Nama, descendants of the Khoikhoi, have a strong oral tradition of poetry and prose, a natural talent for music, and skills in sewing and leatherwork.

The Owambo (Aawambo), made up of several sub-ethnic groups such as the Aakwanyama and Aandonga, are the largest cultural community, representing about 48% of the population (2023 census). Their traditional social system is matrilineal, and they practise mixed farming of livestock and crops.

The OvaHerero, a Bantu-speaking pastoral people, are known for their cattle culture. The women wear the distinctive Victorian-style dresses and horn-shaped headdresses, a tradition influenced by missionary wives in the 19th century. Today, OvaHerero speakers make up about 5.9% of the population.

The OvaHimba, related to the OvaHerero, number around 50,000 in the Kunene Region and southern Angola. They are semi-nomadic pastoralists, recognised for their red ochre paste (otjize), symbolic hairstyles, and the sacred fire (okuruwo) that maintains ancestral connections.

Other groups include the Damara (about 5.6% of the population), among Namibia’s oldest cultural communities, and the Vakavango (around 2.7%), who live along the Okavango River and practise horticulture and animal husbandry. The Nama account for about 3.1% of the population. The Caprivians (Zambezi Region residents, about 4%) live along major rivers, relying on fishing, livestock, and farming.

Smaller groups include the Rehoboth Basters (1.5%), descendants of mixed European–Khoisan ancestry who primarily speak Afrikaans; the Topnaars, a Nama subgroup living along the Kuiseb River; the Tswana (less than 1%), concentrated around Gobabis; and people of European descent (1.8%), primarily Afrikaans, German, English, and Portuguese speakers.

English is the official language and the medium of instruction in schools from secondary level onwards. Although only about 3–4% of Namibians speak English at home, it functions as the language of government, education, and business.

Namibia is linguistically diverse, with most citizens speaking two or more languages. Afrikaans remains widely used as a lingua franca, particularly in the south and in urban areas. German and Portuguese are also spoken, the latter mainly among Angolan immigrants.

According to the 2011 census (latest full language data available), the main household languages are:

• Oshiwambo dialects – 48%
• Khoekhoegowab (Nama/Damara) – 11.3%
• Afrikaans – 10.4%
• Otjiherero – 8.6%
• Vakavango languages – 8.5%
• Silozi (Zambezi Region) – 4.8%
• English – 3.4%
• German – 0.9%
• San languages – 0.8%

Indigenous languages are taught at primary school level to preserve cultural identity.