NAMIBIA
(South-West Africa)
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LAND
823,620 km2; mostly desert except for interior plateau and area along northern border
Land boundaries: 3,798 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 6 nm (fishing 12 nm)
Coastline: 1,489 km
PEOPLE
Population: 1,086,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.0%
Nationality: noun—Namibian(s); adjective—Namibian
Ethnic divisions: 83% African, 11% white, 6% mulatto; approximately half the Africans belong to Ovambo tribe
Religion: whites predominantly Christian, nonwhites either animist or Christian
Language: Afrikaans principal language of about 70% of white population, German of 22% and English of 8%; several African languages
Literacy: high for white population; low for nonwhite
Labor force: 203,300 (total of economically active, 1970); 68% agriculture, 15% railroads, 13% mining, 4% fishing
Organized labor: no trade unions, although some white wage earners belong to South African unions
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Namibia
Type: former German colony of South-West Africa man-dated to South Africa by League of Nations in 1920; UN formally ended South Africa's mandate on 27 October 1966, but South Africa has retained administrative control
Capital: Windhoek
Political subdivisions: 10 tribal homelands, mostly in northern sector, and zone open to white settlement, with administrative subdivisions similar to a province of South Africa
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and customary law
Branches: since September 1977 Administrator-General, appointed by South African Government, has exercised coordinative functions over zone of white settlement and tribal homelands, where traditional chiefs and representative bodies exercise limited autonomy; Namibian National Assembly, elected December 1978, has been granted legislative powers, subject to Administrator-General's veto; a Ministers' Council, composed of members of the National Assembly and with limited executive powers, established July 1980
Government leader: Danie HOUGH, Administrator-General
Suffrage: several tribal homelands have adult franchise for homeland legislatures; all ethnic groups were eligible to vote in 1978 election for Namibian National Assembly
Elections: election of Namibian National Assembly, December 1978
Political parties and leaders: there are approximately 50 political parties in Namibia; the major parties include (white parties)—Action Front for the Preservation of the Turnhalle Principles (AKTUR), also known as the National Party of South-West Africa, Kosie Pretorius; Federal Party, Bryan O'Linn; Republican Party, Dirk Mudge; many of the nonwhite parties belong to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), a multiethnic alliance of traditional tribal leaders and the white Republican Party, which is favored in South Africa; the other multiethnic alliance, the Namibian National Front (NNF), the white Federal Party, and nonwhite groups opposed to the homeland system, operates independently; South-West Africa People's Organization Democrats (SWAPO-D), a predominantly Ovambo party led by Andreas Shipanga, broke away from Sam Nujoma's SWAPO and is loosely affiliated with NNF
Voting strength: (1978 election) DTA won 41 seats in Namibian National Assembly; AKTUR, 6 seats; 3 miniscule parties, 1 seat each; NNF, SWAPO, and SWAPO-D boycotted elections; 15 additional, appointed seats have not been filled
Communists: no Communist Party, SWAPO guerrilla force is supported by USSR, Cuba, and other Communist states as well as OAU
Other political or pressure groups: South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), led by Sam Nujoma, maintains a foreign-based guerrilla movement; is predominantly Ovambo but has some influence among other tribes; is the only Namibian group recognized by the UN General Assembly and the Organization of African Unity
ECONOMY
Agriculture: livestock raising (cattle and sheep) predominates, subsistence crops (millet, sorghum, corn, and some wheat) are raised but most food must be imported
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