Namibia National Symbols – a2z Countries

Namibia, the former German colony “South West Africa”, is one of the youngest countries on earth. Having gained independence from South Africa in 1990 after a long struggle for freedom, it can look back on a history in which Germany played an important role. Since independence it has been ruled by the former liberation movement SWAPO.

Official name: Republic of Namibia

Area: 824,292 km²

Residents: 2.48 million (2017, estimated)

Growth of population: approx. 2% (2017, estimated)

Seat of government: Windhoek

Official language: English

Regional languages: Oshivambo, Afrikaans, German

With its 2.5 million residents (estimate, as of December 2017), spread over a total area of 824,292 square kilometers, Namibia has a current population density of around three U / square kilometers. This makes it the second most sparsely populated country in the world after Mongolia (see also the population map in the section “Namibia Maps”). In the south of Namibia, the population density is still far below 1 U / sqkm.

In the Karas region, for example, there are just 76,000 residents over 161,324 square kilometers, which corresponds to a population density of 0.47 U / square kilometers! The Karas region alone covers an area that is as large as 45% of the area of Germany or the total area of the three largest German states Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia combined. If you then keep in mind that 882,000 Namibians (almost 42% of the population) live in the 38 larger cities and towns of Namibia, it becomes clear that the rural regions of Namibia in large parts of the country are still almost deserted.

Country impressions

According to commit4fitness, the fascination of Namibia is difficult to put into words. For Europeans, who mostly live in densely populated areas, this fascination lies primarily in the unbelievable vastness and emptiness of the country with its breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. When you come from the hectic metropolis of Frankfurt with its huge airport and land on Windhoek’s almost family-friendly mini-airport and then drive over kilometers past farmland to Windhoek, it immediately feels as if you can suddenly ‘breathe deeply’ in a completely different way.

This feeling of suddenly having an infinite amount of space increases when you drive out into the country. Just a few kilometers outside of the few urban centers, the country is almost deserted and there are large parts of Namibia in which one cannot see the slightest sign of human settlement practically from horizon to horizon. For Europeans, it is above all this ” luxury of space ” that infects them with the “namibiensis virus” and keeps them coming back to Namibia.

This completely different, less hectic attitude to life and the fascinating landscapes, people, animals and plants can convey images and videos far better than text.

National symbols

Flag

The three main colors of the Namibian flag are blue, green and red. The blue stands for the rain (very precious in dry Namibia), the ocean that borders the country in the west and the almost always blue sky. The green stands for fertility and vegetation. The red color of the diagonal stripe symbolizes the population, their determination and heroism in the struggle for freedom as well as a future with equal opportunities for all. The white border of the red stripe symbolizes peace and harmony and unity of the Namibian nation. Finally, the yellow sun symbolizes the vitality and creativity of the still young nation of Namibia, whereby each point of the sun stands for one of the ethnic groups in the country.

National coat of arms

In addition to the flag in the center of the shield, the national coat of arms picks up on national animals and the national plant of Namibia: two oryx antelopes frame the shield, above which the osprey hovers as a national bird. The sign itself rests on a Welwitschia Mirabilis, the strange-looking national plant of Namibia that can live for over 2000 years. The yellow diamonds symbolize the diamond deposits in the country, one of the most important natural resources in Namibia. The white ribbon under the Welwitschia shows the national motto “Unity, Liberty, Justice” (“Unity, Freedom and Justice”).

National anthem

The Namibian national anthem “Land of the Brave” was introduced in 1991 on the first anniversary of independence. It was composed by the Namibian musician Axali Doëseb.