Namibia (2007) | Bangladesh (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa | 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 37.7% (male 390,448/female 383,698)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 606,239/female 597,512) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 34,926/female 42,257) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 33.5% (male 24,359,149; female 23,013,811)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 45,557,963; female 43,626,950) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,575,519; female 2,207,084) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish | rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry |
Airports | 137 (2007) | 16 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 116
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 20 (2007) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than half the size of Alaska | slightly smaller than Iowa |
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. Namibia won its independence in 1990 and has been governed by SWAPO since. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. | Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. |
Birth rate | 23.52 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 30.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $2.396 billion
expenditures: $2.26 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues: $5.352 billion
expenditures: $7.55 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
Capital | name: Windhoek
geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April |
Dhaka |
Climate | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic | tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) |
Coastline | 1,572 km | 580 km |
Constitution | ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 | 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Namibia
conventional short form: Namibia local long form: Republic of Namibia local short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa |
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan |
Currency | - | taka (BDT) |
Death rate | 19.15 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 8.52 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.348 billion (2006 est.) | $18.06 billion (2003) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joyce BARR
embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 221601 FAX: [264] (61) 229792 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Harry K. THOMAS, Jr.
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO
chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
Disputes - international | concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river | discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, and violence; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources |
Economic aid - recipient | ODA, $123.4 million (2005 est.) | $1.575 billion (2000 est.) |
Economy - overview | The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides the world's worst inequality of income distribution. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Privatization of several enterprises in coming years may stimulate long-run foreign investment. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-06. | Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Economic reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.863 billion kWh (2005) | 14.25 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 78 million kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 1.567 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 1.688 billion kWh (2005) | 15.33 billion kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
Environment - current issues | very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas | many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, 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 includes Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5% |
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) |
Exchange rates | Namibian dollars per US dollar - 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002) | taka per US dollar - 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.8067 (2001), 52.1417 (2000), 49.0854 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005) 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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2% |
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections
head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term; election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by NA 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA |
Exports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins | garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001) |
Exports - partners | South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2006) | US 23.9%, Germany 13.6%, UK 9.7%, France 5.9% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner; the upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a yellow, 12-rayed sunburst; the lower fly-side triangle is green | green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside, and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $258.8 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 10.9%
industry: 30.6% services: 58.5% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 26.6% services: 51.7% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.9% (2006 est.) | 5.3% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 00 S, 17 00 E | 24 00 N, 90 00 E |
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 | most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal |
Highways | - | total: 207,486 km
paved: 19,773 km unpaved: 187,713 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 64.5% (2003) |
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) |
Illicit drugs | - | transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries |
Imports | 17,580 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals | machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000) |
Imports - partners | South Africa 85.2%, US (2006) | India 15.4%, China 11.3%, Singapore 10.8%, Japan 5.9%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2003) |
Independence | 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) | 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 1.9% (2003 est.) |
Industries | meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper) | cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar |
Infant mortality rate | total: 47.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 51.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 43.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 64.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 65.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.1% (2006 est.) | 5.6% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 80 sq km (2003) | 38,440 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission) | Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 657,000 (2006 est.) | 64.02 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2003) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 47%
industry: 20% services: 33% (1999 est.) |
agriculture 63%, industry 11%, services 26% (FY95/96) |
Land boundaries | total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km |
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.99%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005) |
arable land: 62.11%
permanent crops: 3.07% other: 34.82% (2001) |
Languages | English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) | Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
Legal system | based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution | based on English common law |
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 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%, other 0.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76.1%, COD 7.3%, DTA 5.1%, NUDO 4.2%, UDF 3.6%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%, other 1.0%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1 note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body |
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-i-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, and Jatiya Party (Manzur) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 43.11 years
male: 44.39 years female: 41.79 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 61.71 years
male: 61.8 years female: 61.61 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85% male: 86.8% female: 83.5% (2001 census) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa | Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
Map references | Africa | Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,265 GRT/3,605 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2007) |
total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 319,897 GRT/440,575 DWT
by type: bulk 2, cargo 24, container 10, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: China 1, Singapore 9 registered in other countries: 10 (2004 est.) |
Military branches | Namibian Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Wing (2006) | Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $606.8 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.7% (2006) | 1.2% (2003) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 39,523,128 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 23,441,482 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 21 March (1990) | Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh |
Nationality | noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian |
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi |
Natural hazards | prolonged periods of drought | droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
Natural resources | diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore |
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
Net migration rate | 0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 2,012 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; National Democratic Movement for Change or NamDMC; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima RIRUAKO]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; South West Africa National Union or SWANU [Rihupisa KANDANDO]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB] | Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA, chairperson]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 2,055,080
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 2007 est.) |
141,340,476 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day | 35.6% (FY95/96 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.478% (2007 est.) | 2.08% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001) | AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999) |
Railways | total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2006) |
total: 2,706 km
broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
Religions | Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% | Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.015 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.827 male(s)/female total population: 1.008 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
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: country code - 264; 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: totally inadequate for a modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 138,900 (2005) | 740,000 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 495,000 (2005) | 1.365 million (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 8 (plus about 20 repeaters) (1997) | 15 (1999) |
Terrain | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east | mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
Total fertility rate | 2.94 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 3.15 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 5.3% (2006 est.) | 40% (includes underemployment) (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | 8,372 km
note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004) |