Southern African transit hub for South American cocaine
probably destined for the European and US markets; producer of hashish
and methaqualone
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NAMIBIA
@Namibia:Introduction
Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of Sud-West Afrika
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.
@Namibia:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Angola and South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 825,418 sq km
land: 825,418 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 3,824 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 855
km, Zambia 233 km
Coastline: 1,572 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m
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
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought
Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water
resources; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: 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
@Namibia:People
Population: 1,771,327
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in
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