Geography
Location: South-West Africa; 12°-25° eastern longitude, 17°-29° southern latitude
Size: 825,418 sq km
Coastal length: 1,572 km
Climate: Desert; hot and dry; aperiodic rainfalls
Landscape: mainly hight plateau; Namib desert in the west along the coast; Kalahari desert in the east
Highest peak: Königstein (Brandberg), 2,606 m
Natural resources: Diamonds, Uranium, Copper, Gold, Tin, Lead, Lithium, Cadmium, Zinc, Salt, Vanadium, Gas, Fish, Hydropower; suspected deposits of oil, coal and iron ore
Use of land: Arable land: 0.99% (2005); irrigated land: 80 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: Periods of drought, flooding in the Caprivi region
Environmental problems: Limited fresh water resources; desertification
Note: First country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; 18% of the country is protected

People
Population: 2.1 million
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.9%; 15-64 years: 60.2%; above 65 years: 3,9%
Population growth rate: 0,95%
Birth rate: 23.19 births per 1000 population
Death rate: 14.07 deaths per 1000 population
Sex ration: At birth: 1.03 male/female; under 15 years 1.02 m/f; 15-64 years 1.02 m/f; 65 and above 0.81 m/f
Infant mortality rate: 45.51 deaths per 1,000 live births
LIfe expectancy: Women 50.8 years, men 51.6 years (without HIV/AIDS approx. 68 years)
HIV/AIDS: 15.3% (down from 21,3% in 2003); for comparison: Germany 0.1%, Botswana 37.3%
Nationality: Namibian(s)
Ethnical groups: Blacks: 87.5%; whites: 6%; mixed: 6.5%
Religions: Christianity: 80-90% (Lutherans >50%); traditional beliefs: 10-20%
Languages: English (official language;mother tongue in only 1.9% of the households); Afrikaans (Lingua Franca; mother tongue in 11.4% of all households); German (mother tongue in 1.1% of the households); many indigenous languages
Literacy rate: 85% ot the total population above 15 years

Politics & Government
Official name: Republic of Namibia; till 1990 South West Africa; till 1918  German South West Africa 
Government: Presidential Republic as part of the Commonwealth of Nations
Capital: Windhoek (approx. 300,000 inhabitants
Administrative divisions: 13 regions: Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa
Independence: 21 March 1990 from South Africa
Constitution: Ratified 9 February 1990; effective since 12 March 1990; frequent changes since than
Executive: President: Hifikepunye Pohamba (since 21 March 2005); Prime Minister: Nahas Angula (since 21 March 2005); Cabinet: appointed by the president out of the members of the National Assembly; Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004; election result: Hifikepunye Pohamba 76.4%
Legislative: Bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); SWAPO with absolute majority of the seats
Judicial: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties: All People's Party (APP); Congress of Democrats(COD), Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia (DTA), Monitor Action Group (MAG),  National Democratic Movement for Change (NamDMC), National Unity Democratic Organization (NUDO), Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP),  Republican Party (RP), South West Africa National Union (SWANU), South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), United Democratic Front (UDF)

Economy
The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 12% of GDP, but provides more than 50% of foreign exchange earnings. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides one of the world's most unequal income distributions. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Increased payments from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) put Namibia's budget into surplus in 2007 for the first time since independence, but SACU payments will decline after 2008 as part of a new revenue sharing formula. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-07, but growth in recent years was undercut by poor fish catches and high costs for metal inputs.

GDP: Absolute: 11.23 bn US$ (PPP); growth: 3.3% per year; per capita: 5,400 US$ (PPP)
Composition: Agriculture 10%, industry 36%, services 53%
Inflation rate: 10.3%
Labour force: Approx. 667.000; agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services  33% (1999)
Unemployment rate: 5% (however, estimated at more than 30%)
Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper); tourism  
Agricultural products: Maize, sorghum, cattle, game, fish
Exports: 2.98 bn US$; mainly diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins to South Africa, EU
Imports: 3.56 bn US$; mainly foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals mainly from South Africa, EU, USA
Currency: Namibia Dollar (NAD, N$) = 100 cents (c); also accepted legal tender at 1:1: South African Rand (ZAR, R) = 100 cents (c)

Infrastructure
Telephones: 138,100 landlines connections (2007); 800,300 mobile subscribers (2007); very good system with a combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity of about 45 per 100 persons; highest standard optic-fibre network
Radio: 2 AM and 39 FM stations; 4 short wave (2001)
Television: 1 national public channel, 1 national private channel; satellite network accessible; 250.000 television sets (2007)
Internet: mainly used in the towns; country code: .na ; 110,000 subscribers (2008)
Transport: Railways: 2,382 kms narrow gauge; roads: 66,467 km, incl. 9,172 km tarred roads; ports: Walvis Bay and Lüderitz; airports: 137, including 21 with tarred runways (2006)

Main source: CIA The World Factbook, 2008 & 2009 (Link)