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Situation
A large and mainly barren country situated along the Atlantic seaboard on the south-western coast of the African sub-continent. Namibia borders Angola and Zambia in the north, South Africa in the south and south-east, Botswana in the east and Zimbabwe at the eastern extremity of the Caprivi.
Climate
Summer (October-April) with average interior temperatures ranging from 20°C-34°C during the day. Temperatures above 40°C in the extreme north and south of the country are often recorded.
Languages
Official Language: English Other: Afrikaans and German widely used. Bantu and Khoisan are the main African languages used.
Currency
Namibia’s unit of currency is the Namibian Dollar (N$) which is divided
into 100 Cents.
Health Precautions
Malaria is a risk in the northern regions from November to May. Travelers are advised to have the necessary prophylaxis and also carry insect repellents and sprays.
Highlights
Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, Etosha.
Best Known for:
Having the highest red sand dunes anywhere in the world, the red dunes of Sossusvlei. |
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Namibia:
A country of vivid contradictions and stark beauty, where undulating
deserts tumble over towering dunes to meet a tempestuous coastline.
In this vast land of open space and surreal landscapes, the safari
traveller is transported to an ancient wilderness where shifting
sands slowly reveal their treasures.
Namibia’s haunting, rugged terrain commences in the far
south where the Fish River Canyon forms a deep chasm in the arid
landscape - a drawcard for hikers and wilderness lovers. But to
many travellers, it is the Namib Desert that remains one of Africa’s
most awe-inspiring spectacles. A “living desert”,
its shifting dunes are honeycombed with the greatest variety of
living creatures of any dunelands in the world. Despite the scarcity
of rain, sea mists borne by winds from the icy Atlantic Ocean
create condensation which sustain an array of unique creatures
and desert-adapted plants. The NamibRand Nature Reserve spans
184 000 hectares of desert, the largest private nature reserve
in southern Africa. Its beauty lies in its stark emptiness and
climactic extremes, its far horizons and jagged mountain heights.
At Sossussvlei in the Namib-Naukluft Park, the highest sand dunes
in the world create a shifting canvas of light and texture, contrasted
by deeply-carved canyons and ravines - a haven for photographers
and artists, enraptured by their beauty. |
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