Introduction to Namibia

Geography: Namibia lies in Southwestern Africa, it covers 824 269 km2 nearly four times the size of Britain. It's bounded in the west by the atlantic ocean, and in the east by Botswana and south Africa. Its northern boundary its shared by Angola and Zambia, while the northeastern corner lies at the junction of its bounderies with Zambia , Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Climate: Namibia is the most arid Country in sub -Saharan Africa.
It has an average rainfall of 270mm a year, and rainfall is extremely erratic, with a high potential evaporation rate. More than 70% of the rain is recorded from december to march. It usually falls in the afternoons as short, but heavy thunderstorms accompagnied by lightning.

May to september is generally the best time to visit the interior. Daytime temperatures are pleasant, but evenings and early mornings can be chilly, with frost in midwinter.
Although snow falls ocasionally in the south of the country, it's a rare phenomenon in Windhoek.
The summers are hot and temperatures of over 35.C aren't incommon, especially in the far south, the southeast and from Rundu eastwards. Humidity is relatively low.

Coastal temperatures are more moderate than those of the interior and in summer the coast offers welcome relief from the scorching temperatures further inland.

A little of our history: There is a high density of pre-modern peoples in Namibia. The most famous, Bushmen (also called San) are generally assumed to have been the earliest inhabitants of the region comprising today's Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. The bushmen were hunters and gatherers with a nomadic lifestyle. The most important part of their diet consisted of fruits, nuts and roots, but they also hunted different kinds of antelopes. Over time, many different ethnic groups of immigrants settled in Namibia.
Bantu speaking people began settling in the north of the country in about the ninth century.The herero reached northwestern Namibia in the mid 1500 living there for about two centuries before settling in the central and eastern parts.
Other groups notably the Oorlam Nama and the basters, came into Namibia from the South during the nineteenth century.