I will try not to bore you with too many facts and figures about the country, but there are certainly some interesting characteristics. Namibia is about the size of Texas and Louisiana combined and has a population of around 2.1 million. This is a lot of land with not a lot of people, it is the second least densely populated country only behind Mongolia with 6.6 people/sq mi (Montana has a density of 6.5/sq mi). This is due to the fact that most of the country is desert, namely the Namib and Kalahari. Namibia is home to the oldest desert and the tallest sand dunes in the world. Luckily, for those who like the sun (which I myself do), Namibia boasts 300 days of sun a year. Temperatures vary greatly from freezing to 120 degrees. The northern parts of the country receive upwards of 20 inches of rain a year while the coastal deserts see next to none. Despite the mostly arid environment, Namibia has an abundance of the typical wildlife one would expect to find in Africa, from elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, snakes, big bugs....
On the development side of things, Namibia is certainly considered a less developed country. Namibia has a per capita gross domestic product that is actually high relative to the rest of Africa at around $4,500/person (for comparison the US is at $46,000/person). However, this number is deceiving; 5% of the population actually earns 70% of the income. Even more alarming is that 55% of the population is living on less than $2/day. On top of this, Namibia suffers from a high unemployment rate of around 30%. Bottom line, Namibia is poor. Another disturbing social issue plaguing the country is the prevalence of HIV/AIDS which is among the highest in the world. Around 18% of the adult population live with the disease and it is estimated that by 2021 that 30% of Namibia's children will be orphaned. Because of this, life expectancy in Namibia is low and the disease has a serious impact on the economy. All that aside, I am expecting Namibian people to be very warm, cheerful, and full of priceless knowledge about life.
So that is a bit about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Namibia. I wish I could share everything I have learned thus far about the country, but as time progresses and I get time on the ground, there will be plenty more to share. I still have a lot to learn and I am certainly looking forward to sharing it with you.
On the development side of things, Namibia is certainly considered a less developed country. Namibia has a per capita gross domestic product that is actually high relative to the rest of Africa at around $4,500/person (for comparison the US is at $46,000/person). However, this number is deceiving; 5% of the population actually earns 70% of the income. Even more alarming is that 55% of the population is living on less than $2/day. On top of this, Namibia suffers from a high unemployment rate of around 30%. Bottom line, Namibia is poor. Another disturbing social issue plaguing the country is the prevalence of HIV/AIDS which is among the highest in the world. Around 18% of the adult population live with the disease and it is estimated that by 2021 that 30% of Namibia's children will be orphaned. Because of this, life expectancy in Namibia is low and the disease has a serious impact on the economy. All that aside, I am expecting Namibian people to be very warm, cheerful, and full of priceless knowledge about life.
So that is a bit about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Namibia. I wish I could share everything I have learned thus far about the country, but as time progresses and I get time on the ground, there will be plenty more to share. I still have a lot to learn and I am certainly looking forward to sharing it with you.
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