Officially the Republic of Namibia (Afrikaans: Republiek van Namibië, German: Republik Namibia), is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990 following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

The dry lands of Namibia were inhabited since early times by Bushmen, Damara, and Namaqua, and since about the 14th century AD by immigrating Bantu who came with the Bantu expansion. It became a German Imperial protectorate in 1884 and remained German colony until the end of World War I. In 1920, the League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa, which imposed their laws and from 1948, their apartheid policy.

Namibia has a population of 2.8 million people and a stable multiparty parliamentary democracy. Agriculture, herding, tourism and mining of precious stones and metals form the backbone of Namibia's economy. It is the second least densely populated country in the world, after Mongolia.

Flag	Coat of Arms

Motto: "Unity, Liberty, Justice"
Anthem: "Namibia, Land of the Brave"
Capital (and largest city): Windhoek (22°34.2′S 17°5.167′E)
Official language(s): English
Recognised regional languages: Afrikaans, German, Oshiwambo
Demonym: Namibian
Government: Republic
President: Hifikepunye Pohamba
Prime minister: Nahas Angula
Independence from South Africa: Date 21 March 1990 
Calling code: +264

The name of the country is derived from the Namib Desert, considered to be the oldest desert in the world.[3] Before its independence in 1990, the area was known first as German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika), then as South-West Africa, reflecting the colonial occupation by the Germans and the British.

The politics of Namibia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Namibia is elected to a five-year term and is both the head of state and the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the bicameral Parliament, the National Assembly and the National Council.

In 2008, Namibia ranked 6th on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries. The Ibrahim Index is a comprehensive measure of African governance, based on a number of different variables which reflect the success with which governments deliver essential political goods to its citizens. Namibia held Presidential and the National Assembly elections on 27 and 28 November 2009. The Electoral Commission of Namibia published a "Handbook for Election Observers in Namibia" to enable observers (and party agents) to professionally observe the Presidential and National Assembly Elections 2009, the Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections 2010 and subsequent By-Elections.

Namibia’s coast is entirely embedded in the Namib Desert, extending around some 1570 km from South Africa to Angola. The hyper-arid Namibian coastal ecosystem is home to a significant and unique array of biological and ecological diversity, including uniquely adapted plants and animals, rich estuarine fauna and a high diversity of migratory shore and seabirds. In particular, Namibia’s coastal zones are considered as refuge for a number of endangered species. There are few sheltered bays on the coast. Most of Namibia’s shore is sandy beach (54%) or mixed sand and rock (28%). Rocky shores constitute only 16% of the total length. Coastal plains comprise dune fields, lichen encrusted gravel plains and scattered salt pans. Vegetated dune-hummock areas are common near the coast.

Several ephemeral westward flowing rivers drain the hinterland and dissect the coastal landscape. Perennial wetlands, some of them supporting significant waterfowl populations, are supported within the lower reaches of these rivers in an otherwise barren desert landscape. Along the Skeleton Coast, extensive dune fields may block the flow of some rivers for several years, resulting in the formation of spectacular ephemeral ponds.

Several wetlands provide important feeding grounds to a large number of migratory shore and seabirds, such as the Kunene River Mouth, Cape Cross Lagoons, Mile 4 Saltworks, Walvis Bay Wetlands, Sandwich Harbour, Lüderitz Lagoon, coastal municipal sewerage works, the Orange River Mouth, and important coastal seabird breeding islands including Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession Island.

The coastal areas fall within a series of contiguous protected and recreational areas, namely the Skeleton Coast National Park, the National West Coast Tourist Recreation Area, the Namib-Naukluft National Park and the recently proposed Sperrgebiet National Park, formerly a mining concession completely off-limits to the public and accessible to only a few scientists. The only portion of the coast with no protection status are the municipal areas of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in the Erongo Region, between Mile 14 north of Swakopmund and the Kuiseb River south of Walvis Bay. The coastline of Namibia is, in fact, part of a continuum of protected areas that stretches from Southern Angola into Namaqualand in South Africa.

The coastline boasts:
A total of 205 seaweed species has been collected in Namibian waters.
Just over 400 plant species occur in the Central Namib - making up to 10% of the flora of the country, the Northern Namib supports approximately 100 to 200 plant species and the Southern Namib is home to well over 600 species of plants (a global biodiversity hotspot)..

About 410 species of bony fish and 83 species of cartilaginous fish are thought to occur in Namibian waters. Of these, 91 species and 30 species respectively have been recorded in depths of less than 30m.

Of the 8 species of sea turtles worldwide, 5 occur in Namibia. Most are considered endangered and are protected under the Sea Fisheries Act and international agreement.

Of the 62 species of seabirds recorded in Namibian waters, 20 are only rare vagrants. Twelve species breed along the Namibian coast in particular on offshore islands and man-made platforms. These include the endangered African Penguin, African Black Oystercatcher and the rare breeding endemic Damara Tern.

Marine Mammals represented in Namibian waters include cetaceans and seals. Of the 11 species of baleen whales worldwide, 8 occur off Namibia, while 23 species of dolphins and toothed whales can be found.

Source: NACOMA - http://www.nacoma.org.na/Our_Coast/FaunaFlora.htm