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All About Africa
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GeographyNamibia is bounded on the north by Angola and Zambia, on the east by Botswana, and on the east and south by South Africa. It is for the most part a portion of the high plateau of southern Africa, with a general elevation of from 3,000 to 4,000 ft. HistoryThe San peoples may have inhabited what is now Namibia more than 2,000 years ago. The Bantu-speaking Herero migrated there in the 1600s. The Ovambo, the largest ethnic group today, migrated there in the 1800s. In the late 15th century, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to visit Namibia. Formerly called South-West Africa, the territory became a German colony in 1884. Between 1904 and 1908, German troops massacred tens of thousands of Hereros, who had revolted against colonial domination. In 1915, during World War I, Namibian territory was taken over by South African forces, and became a South African mandate by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in 1920. South Africa's intention to incorporate the territory was rejected by the UN in 1946, but in 1949, the territory was brought into much closer association with South Africa. A black Marxist separatist group, the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), formed in 1960, and began small-scale guerrilla attacks aimed at achieving independence. In 1968, the UN called for South Africa's withdrawal from the territory, which was officially renamed Namibia. South Africa refused. Under a 1974 Security Council resolution, South Africa was required to begin the transfer of power or face UN action. Prime Minister Balthazar J. Vorster rejected UN supervision, claiming that his government was prepared to negotiate Namibian independence, but not with SWAPO. The UN had recognized SWAPO as the “sole legitimate representative” of the Namibian people. South Africa handed over limited powers to a new, multiracial administration in 1985 (the previous government had enforced South Africa's apartheid laws). Installation of the new government ended South Africa's direct rule, but South Africa retained an effective veto over the new government's decisions. Finally, in 1988 South Africa agreed to Namibian independence. SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma was elected president, and on March 21, 1990, Namibia achieved independence. Nujoma was reelected in 1994, and again in 1999, after the constitution was amended to allow him to seek a third term. Nujoma announced in Nov. 2001 that he would not seek reelection when his term expires in 2004. In Nov. 2004, Hifikepunye Pohamba of SWAPO was elected president with 76% of the vote. He will take office on March 21, 2005 In 2004, Germany issued a formal apology for the massacre of Hereros by German colonial troops between 1904 and 1908. Source: InfoPlease, Feb 13 2005. |
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