Namibia

Where the name comes from

Namibia is named after the coastal Namib Desert; Namib is Nama for a vast or empty place.

First people

San, Nama, Herero, Ovambo and other peoples have their own southern African histories, and San rock art at Twyfelfontein is thousands of years old.^1,2

Known for

Namibia is known for the Namib, one of the world’s oldest deserts, with some of the tallest sand dunes on Earth.³

Outside rule

German colonization in 1884 ended with South African conquest in 1915; a League of Nations mandate followed in 1920, which the UN ended in 1966.⁴

The modern country

Namibia became independent from South African rule in 1990, and Walvis Bay stayed under South African control until 1994.^5,6