Namibia
The Facts
Population: 1.927 million (2003)
Capital: Windhoek, population 234,000 (2004)
Currency: Namibian dollar (fixed to the South African rand)
Language(s): English (official), Afrikaans, German and several indigenous languages
Flight Time: 12 hours
Time Difference: GMT +1 hour
International dialling code: +264
Climate: The cold Benguela current keeps the coast of the Namib Desert cool, damp and free of rain for most of the year, with a thick coastal fog. Inland, all the rain falls in summer (November to April). Summer temperatures are high while the altitude means that nights are cool. Winter nights can be fairly cold, but days are generally warm and pleasant.
Light cottons, with slightly heavier cottons or light woollens for evening. Inland, shoes are essential during the day as the ground is very hot.
Geography: The Namibian landscape consists primarily of central highlands of which the highest point is the Brandberg at 2,606 m. The central plateau runs from north to south, bordered by the Namib Desert and its coastal plains in the west, the Orange River in the south, and the Kalahari Desert in the east. A remarkable strip of land in the northeast known as the Caprivi Strip is the remainder of a narrow corridor for Germany to access the Zambezi River.
Souvenirs: Diamonds, bushmen jewellery made from ostrich shell, 'Himba' belts and bracelets.
