Namibia (2002) | Jersey (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.6% (male 392,706; female 382,690)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 490,151; female 488,052) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 29,345; female 37,972) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667) 15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331) 65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 137 (2001) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 21
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 114
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 71 under 914 m: 19 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than half the size of Alaska | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Independence came in 1990. | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 34.17 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $883 million
expenditures: $950 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998) (1998) |
revenues:
$601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Windhoek | Saint Helier |
Climate | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 1,572 km | 70 km |
Constitution | ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa |
conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 22.28 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $217 million (2000 est.) | none |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Kevin J. McGUIRE
embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 221601 FAX: [264] (61) 229792 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard Nangolo IIPUMBU
chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $127 million (1998) (1998) | none |
Economy - overview | The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. Namibia must import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 890.9 million kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - imports | 863 million kWh
note: supplied by South Africa (2000) |
NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 30 million kWh (2000) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 2%
hydro: 98% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% |
UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | Namibian dollars per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Theo-Ben GURIRAB (since 28 August 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA elected president; percent of vote - Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA 77% |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $1.58 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998 est.) | UK |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $8.1 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 11%
industry: 28% services: 61% (2000 est.) |
agriculture:
5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 22 00 S, 17 00 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total: 64,800 km
paved: 5,378 km unpaved: 59,430 km (2001) |
total:
577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $1.71 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | South Africa 81%, US 4%, Germany 2% (1997 est.) | UK |
Independence | 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Industries | meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper) | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | 72.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.8% (2001) | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | 70 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission) | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 500,000 | 57,050 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.) | - |
Land boundaries | total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.01% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34% |
Languages | English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution | English law and local statute |
Legislative branch | bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held by December 2004); National Assembly - last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held by December 2004) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 21, DTA 4, UDF 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76%, COD 10%, DTA 9%, UDF 3%, MAG 1%, other 1%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 7, DTA 7, UDF 2, MAG 1, note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 38.97 years
male: 40.81 years female: 37.07 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
78.63 years male: 76.21 years female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38% male: 45% female: 31% (1960 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | National Defense Force (Army, including Air Wing), Police | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $104.4 million (2001) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.6% (FY97/98) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 436,642 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 260,879 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 21 March (1990) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian |
noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | prolonged periods of drought | NA |
Natural resources | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
arable land |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Kosie PRETORIUS]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 1,820,916
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
89,361 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.19% (2002 est.) | 0.48% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Luderitz, Walvis Bay | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 232,000 (1997) | NA |
Railways | total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2001) |
0 km |
Religions | Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital international: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2002) |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 110,200 (2000) | 65,500 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 82,000 (2000 est) | 4,400 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 4.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 30% to 40%, including underemployment (1997 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |