| Namibia |
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| Language | Currency | Time | Geography | Climate | Health | Transport | Tips | Holidays | Top 10 Attractions in Namibia |
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| General |
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Namibia, with its 2, 1 million residents and 825.418 km², is the slightest colonised country in Africa. Thereof, 277.000 inhabitants (2006) live in the capital city Windhoek. Namibia was the last colony in Africa that became independent in 1990.
Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), the Commonwealth of Nations and many other international organisations. |
| Language |
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The national language is English. Afrikaans, German and numerous African languages like Oshiwambo or Herero are common there as well. |
| Money/Currency |
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| 1 Namibian dollar (N$, NAD) equals 100 cents |
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| Time |
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GMT +1 hours.
Namibia is one hour ahead of GMT in the winter months, April to September, and two hours ahead of GMT from October to March. |
| Geography |
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Namibia lies in a south- western Africa and it borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, South Africa to the south and east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and Angola and Zambia to the north.
Any of the rivers in the country, except for Oranje, Kumene, Okavango and Zambezi, is filled with water for a whole year. Out of rainy season, there are only dried riverbeds to find.
To the west Namibia borders with the Namib Desert with hardly any vegetation. That desert belt, that reaches from the north of South Africa up to Angola is characterised by strong expanses of sand dunes in its central part.
The desert belt is followed by the Great Escarpment that rises up to 2000 meters. The Escarpment changes into the Central Plateau where the majority of Namibian´s towns and the capital Windhoek are situated.
Further to the east lies the Kalahari Basin that is characterised by wide sandy plains and long-dunes with little vegetation.
The north- east area of Namibia is flat and covered with bushveld and it is relatively rainy. |
| Climate |
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The average climate of Namibia is hot and dry. The climate is subtropical continental and there are large differences between the parts of the land.
In the Namib storms are very rare. Even in the winter the temperature reaches 25°C or more. In the hottest summer months December and January the temperature reaches mostly over 30°C.
The temperature differences between day and night are very large. They can be even more than 20 °C in winter. In the Kalahari it is similar as in Namib.
Storms are more frequent but still seldom. The Capri- Strips, on the other hand, are shaped by frequent storms. They have expanded river- system and a dense tropical virgin forest.
The Atlantic coast on the other hand is defined by cold Benguela storms. It cools the dominant south-western wind strongly down, which prevents the formation of rainclouds as a result of condensation, and regularly produces dense lasting fog at ground level.
The temperatures in the summer are here chilly and during winter months, sometimes also during the day, touchy cold.
The vast part of Namibia lies in the tropical summer - rain area with irregular, but occasionally very heavy rainfalls. |
| Health |
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The medical service of the Foreign Office recommends as reasonable protection provided by vaccination: protection against tetanus, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis A. In case of staying longer than three months, protection against hepatitis b is reasonable. Preventive protection against malaria is reasonable as well.
HIV and AIDS are a problem in Namibia. Adequate precautions should be kept. There are pharmacies and hospitals in all bigger cities. |
| Transport |
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The International Airport Windhoek lies 42 km eastwards from Windhoek. Airport busses and Taxis are available. For travelling Namibia, it is best to drive in a rental car. Public transport practically doesn´t exist. The tarred, gravel or sand roads are usually well maintained. |
| Tips for the tourist |
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You need a pass, which must be valid at least 6 months longer than your staying in Namibia and should have at least two free pages.
There is no visa required for a stay of up to 3 months. The visa is issued at entry. |
| Namibia has 12 public holidays |
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| The top 10 tourist attractions in Namibia: |
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| 1. |
Windhoek |
| 2. |
Etosha National Park |
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Swakopmund |
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Luderitz |
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Gobabis |
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Walvis Bay |
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Namib-Naukluft Park |
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Namib Desert |
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Fish River Canyon |
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Sesriem Canyon |
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| References: |
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http://www.namibia-travel.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia |
