50 Interesting Namibia Facts to Know About

(Last Updated On: April 16, 2021)

Namibia is an isolated population in the southwestern part of Africa with so many interesting facts. It shares its western boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Deserts Many stories about the country and wildlife speak a lot about Namibian natural beauty. Most countries have barren land and a hot climate.

Namibia is one of South Africa’s best places to visit wildlife. You can witness plenty of rhinoceros and giraffes in wildlife parks. If you are planning a trip to Namibia, here are some interesting facts to know about Namibia’s brave land:

Interesting Namibia Facts to Know About

Namib Desert, Namibia, the oldest desert in the world. In Namibia, you will see desert lions, desert elephants, and black rhinoceros in large numbers. The name of the country comes from the Namib Desert.

Namibia produces the world’s highest quality diamonds. Gem diamonds are included in Namibia’s big mining industry.

Namibia’s fashionable worldwide boundaries have been established when Germany annexed the territory as South West Africa in 1890. South Africa took management over the territory in 1915 throughout the First World War. Namibia lastly turned totally impartial in 1990 after 25 years of armed struggle.

In 2014, Namibia turned the first African nation to make use of digital voting in its presidential elections, Namibia facts.

Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein, has the most important recognized focus of engravings in Africa. Over 5,000 particular person figures between 2,000 and 6,000 years old have been recorded right here.

During its colonial occupation, Germany dedicated genocide in what’s now Namibia, killing 65,000 Herero individuals between 1904-1907, Namibia facts. In 2004, Germany lastly supplied a proper apology for the colonial-era killings.

Namibia is the second least densely populated nation on this planet. It has inhabitants of two.6 million residing in a space of 825,615km2, with simply 3.2 individuals per km2. Only Mongolia is extra sparsely populated.

Namibia has a few of the highest sand dunes on this planet. Due to their naturally shifting patterns, dune measurement is notoriously inaccurate, dune 7 Namibia facts. However, at 383m, Dune 7 close to Walvis Bay is the best in Namibia and one of many highest on this planet. At 325m, Big Daddy sand dune in Sossusvlei is smaller however much more well-known and usually climbed by vacationers.

Earth’s largest (non-subglacial) underground lake is hidden beneath the Kalahari Desert in Dragon’s Breath Cave in Namibia. The lake has situated a minimum of 100m (330ft) beneath the floor.

Discovered in 1920 close to Grootfontein, the Hoba meteorite is the world’s largest. Weighing 54,000kg, it’s thought to have fallen to Earth around 80,000 years in the past.

Nearly 20% of the nation is protected by nationwide parks reminiscent of Etosha. When communal and freehold conservancies are included, 46.8% of Namibia is presently below some type of formal conservation administration.

Namibia has Africa’s largest free-roaming inhabitants of black rhinos in addition to the most important cheetah inhabitants on this planet.

Namibia was the first nation in Africa and certainly one of only some on this planet that includes environmental safety into its structure.

Namibia is certainly one of solely two nations (Mali being the opposite) that has desert-adapted elephants. Although not a distinct subspecies of savannah elephants, they’ve tailored to the desert atmosphere.

The Oryx or the Gemsbok is native to arid areas and has realized to outlive in harsh local weather circumstances the place water is scarce and temperatures are high. While driving via Namibia you’ll usually see Oryx on the facet of the street, or in locations like Sossusvlei, aside from in fact from Etosha National park.

It is fascinating to see the wild horses in Namibia and the way these animals have managed to adapt and to outlive the acute and harsh circumstances of the Namib desert. The origin of those horses just isn’t actually sure. When visiting Namibia, you will discover these wild horses within the space of Aus on the street to Lüdertiz the place they usually come for a drink.

When visiting Swakopmund you’ll get the sensation you might be strolling round in a German city. The German effect remains to be very prevalent, with typical German-style homes, espresso outlets, pubs, eating places, and additionally, you will hear fairly some German spoken too. Prost!

The dictionary backs up this reality — the name “Namib’ translates to “vast place”. The identity is fairly becoming provided that Namibia is, without doubt, one of the least crowded locations on the planet (the fifth-fewest individuals per sq. kilometer to be precise). Its inhabitants sit at about 2 million individuals, whereas its measurement almost doubles that of California, fun facts about Namibia!

Namibia is without doubt one of the few locations the place desert elephants can nonetheless roam freely. They might be seen within the Kunene space within the northwestern part of Namibia. Desert elephants have tailored to dwell in these arid areas and solely must drink every few days, in contrast to the African elephant who nonetheless wants water daily.

With inhabitants of almost 2,4 million and a landmass of about 825000 km2, Namibia is the second least densely populated sovereign nation on this planet, after Mongolia, Namibia geography facts. However, when driving around within the Southern part of Namibia it looks like there isn’t one round in any respect, Namibia history facts.

The Namib Desert stretches alongside the Namibian coast all the way in which as much as Angola. It is estimated that the realm has been dry for a minimum of 55 million years, making it the oldest desert on this planet. The Namib desert is a really inhospitable space, with sand dunes close to the coast and gravel plains with mountain outcrops extra inland making it one of many least populated areas on this planet. It can also be the one dessert on this planet the place you will discover massive mammals like elephants, rhinos, lions, and giraffes which suggests it’s also a residing desert.

The mixture of robust and dry wind coming from the Namib Desert and the presence of the Atlantic usually creates a dense fog. The 18th-century shipwrecks that litter the shoreline are the eerie outcomes of those poor navigating circumstances, Namibia facts. Rusted and decaying, the weather of the sea and sand have corroded the as soon as full-functioning vessels. The desolate magnificence in these shipwrecks makes for outstanding photographs. One was even the topic of a treasure hunt… In 2016, a 500-year-old shipwreck was discovered with a $13,000,000 price of gold cash.

Attention-grabbing reality about Namibia is that the nation is housed in 2 massive however very distinctly completely different deserts; the Namib desert and the Kalahari desert. They every have a distinct look and geological construction, Namibia facts. The Kalahari desert is a semi-arid desert, protecting components of Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana. It does get barely extra rainfall than the Namib desert and subsequently attracts large wildlife and helps various kinds of vegetation.

The Namib Sand Sea is the one coastal desert on this planet where fog influences the sand dunes. Since 2013 it’s on the Unesco Heritage checklist. Animals, in addition to plants in that space, relying on the everyday fog for survival. They have tailored on this harsh local weather to outlive on the little water supplied via the fog.

Twyfelfontein (Afrikaans for ‘spring of doubt’) turned Namibia’s first Unesco World Heritage web site in 2007. With over 2000 engravings, it has the most important single focus of rock artwork engravings in Africa.

The ghost city of Kolmanskop in Namibia was as soon as one of many wealthiest locations on this planet. The former diamond-mining city had the first X-ray unit within the southern hemisphere. However, after the diamonds dried up, the city was deserted to the desert.

The northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia known as the Skeleton Coast. Initially named due to the whale and seal skeletons from the previous whaling business that littered its shores, the coast is now house to a number of shipwrecks that fell foul of the area’s notorious ocean fog. Portuguese sailors referred to as the realm the ‘gates of hell’ and Namibia’s Bushmen consult with it as ‘the land god made in anger’.

Namibia’s present prime minister, Saara Kuugongelwa, is its first feminine chief and at the moment the one feminine chief in Africa, interesting facts about Namibia.

Africa’s largest canyon, Fish River Canyon, is in Namibia. At 160km lengthy, as much as 27km broad, and 550m (1804ft) deep, it’s Africa’s longest canyon and, after the Grand Canyon within the US, the second largest on this planet.

One of the more comical attention-grabbing info about Namibia is that US President Donald Trump can’t say Namibia. The president twice referred to Namibia as ‘Nambia’, incurring loads of ridicule on-line.

The Bushmen are the oldest of the 13 various ethnic teams in Namibia. Their deep understanding of nature and ecology is a testimony to the 20,000 years they’ve inhabited Southern Africa. Although 30,000 of them reside in Namibia, solely about 2,000 nonetheless observe a standard lifestyle.

Namibia is the first nation to incorporate the safety of the atmosphere into its structure. In reality, at 42%, Namibia is the nation with the best quantity of space below official conservation administration.

The Brandberg mountain is the best mountain in Namibia. The highest level on the mountain is the Königstein, standing at 2573 meters above sea stage. The phrase Brandberg is Afrikaans for a mountain of the fireplace, coming from the attractive golden glow the mountain emanates when the solar is setting.

The former German colonial spot (and coastal metropolis) is a sports activities mecca for thrill-seekers. Activities embrace paragliding or sand-boarding down dunes, skydiving, and heading out on a quad across the city’s slice of the desert (and the checklist goes on). You can even head out to the Atlantic for dolphin recognizing or fishing.

Stooping to a depth of 500 meters and stretching 160 kilometers lengthy, Fish River Canyon is the second largest on this planet behind the Grand Canyon. The grand scale gives views of the sting of the jagged rock.

Since 1993, the authorized foreign money is the Namibian Dollar (NAD). Previously, the South African Rand (ZAR) was used once they have been below South African rule.

Even although Namibia has really small inhabitants, the nation is house to 13 completely different ethnic teams. The Ovambo group represents almost half the inhabitants. The most well-known ethnic group are the Himba individuals, a semi-nomadic tribe residing within the northeastern part of the nation.

Even although a wide range of languages are spoken amongst completely different tribes and other people, English is the one official language. When touring in Namibia, you’ll hear it fairly broadly spoken, though in lots of areas individuals may even converse German and Afrikaans.

Kolmanskop or Kolmanskuppe, situated close to the city of Lüderitz, is Namibia’s most well-known ghost city. Kolmanskop was established as a mining city when in 1908 diamonds have been discovered alongside the coast in Lüderitz. The diamond rush led to the institution of the city. When 30 years later the diamonds in that space have been depleted, Kolmanskop turned into a bona fide ghost city. Currently, Kolmanskop is without doubt one of the most stunning and particular locations to go to in Namibia, particularly for photographers at dawn.

The Gibeon meteorite bathe is the most important meteorite bathe on earth. It happened in prehistoric instances and lined space of 275 by 100 kilometers in central Namibia. It was an iron meteorite. The early inhabitants of Namibia, the San or the Bushman, used the fabric of the meteorite to make weapons and instruments. Some of the stays of the meteorite are on show within the metropolis heart of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.

The Fish River Canyon is the oldest canyon on this planet, and likewise the world’s second-largest. The Canyon is over 500 million years old and was fashioned because of the collapse of the valley flooring. It was additionally fashioned by water and wind erosion.

Namibians reclaimed their land after they gained independence from the South African apartheid regime in 1990, Namibia facts. They present such satisfaction of their land — a lot in order that they’ve designated your entire shoreline as a nationwide park. Not solely does this provoke environmental safety but it surely’s serving to revive populations of wildlife. Among them are the black rhino, African elephants, cheetahs, and extra.

The sand dunes of Sossusvlei within the Namib desert are a few of the highest dunes on this planet. Dune 7 is the best within the space measuring 383 meters, Namibia facts. The most climbed one is Dune 45. Most individuals visiting Sossusvlei will climb Dune 45 to get pleasure from spectacular dawn. It is a difficult climb, particularly early morning earlier than dawn, however actually worthwhile.

Namibia has the most important quantity of free-roaming cheetahs on this planet. Over the years, the cheetah inhabitants have declined quite a bit worldwide, on account of habitat loss, but in addition on account of conflicts with native farmers. Namibia has put numerous efforts into the conservation of cheetahs. Approximately 2500 – 3000 cheetahs reside in Namibia.

In 2013, Namibia acquired the Gift to the Earth Award from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recognizing their progressive help for communal conservancies. So, it’d be truthful to say that Namibia is a world-renowned position mannequin in sustainable tourism, interesting facts about Namibia.

The breathtaking and distinctive panorama of Namibia has been the setting of quite a few well-known field workplace films, like Mad Max: Fury Road, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Cell, 10000 BC, and The Flight of The Phoenix.

Namibia infoThe Orange River is about 2, 090 kilometers lengthy, which makes it the longest river in Southern Africa. It additionally acts as a border between Namibia and South Africa, flowing westward via South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. The river is a big medium for the transportation of diamonds.

Namibia solely acquired independence from South African rule on March 21, 1990, making it at the moment the third youngest nation in Africa. Since 2015 the president is Hage Geingob, solely the third president since Namibia gained independence.

The 2015 movie starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, Mad Max: Fury Road, was shot in Dorob National Park within the Namib Desert, Namibia culture facts. There have been complaints about the time that filming triggered some environmental harm to the encircling desert.

Nearby to Sossusvlei is the eerie scene of Deadvlei, a white clay pan the place scores of useless camel thorn timber litter the bottom. The desiccated timber is regarded as 600-700 years old however hasn’t decomposed as a result of the local weather is just too dry.

Namibia was a colony of Germany before. The people of the country waged a guerrilla war for independence in 1919 but did not gain freedom till that year, facts about Namibia culture.

Namibia is a Cheetah country. This is the place where you will see the largest population of roaming cheetahs. If we go into numbers, there are about 2500-3000 cheetahs, Namibia facts for kids.

It is considered one of Namibia’s most impressive sights. It is the world’s highest sandstone and red color. Big Daddy is the largest hill in Sousoussville, about 325 meters tall. It is interesting to know that sand dunes are stronger than mountains.

Namibia won 4 silver medals at the Olympic Games. The famous athlete behind these achievements is Frankie Fredericks; Two (100m and 200m) in Barcelona in 1992 and two in Atlanta in 1996 (100m and 200m).

Namibia is the second least populous country in the world. It has a population of only 2.5 million people.

The highest mountain in Namibia is Brandenburg Mountain, also known as ‘Fire Mountain’. It climbs 2,606m / 8550ft high. Its highest peak is called Knigstein.

Namibia is the first country to sign a statement that includes environmental protection with the country’s constitution. Namibia facts and information!

Etosha National Park is home to Africa’s tallest elephant, endangered black rhinoceros, and 91 other mammals. Photographers visit this park specifically to capture rare species of wildlife on their cameras.

The Namibian desert meets the sea, Namibia facts. The Namibian Bali Sea is the only place in the world where the lives of animals and plants depend on the daily fog for their survival. On the 21st, it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, interesting facts about Namibia.

Fish River Canyon is the second-largest valley in the world. It was formed 500 million years ago and is a huge tourist attraction in Namibia. The view is extremely beautiful and majestic.

There are 5 different ethnic groups in the country, despite the population. The most famous ethnic group is the Himba, a semi-nomadic tribe, and the Herrero tribe.

There is a city in the country known as Namibia’s most famous ghost town. It was formerly a mining town where diamonds were made but later turned into a ghost town. The place is Kolmanskope and Namibia’s most photographed site.