Namibia Trivia

1. Which country did the first Europeans to make landfall in Namibia come from?

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: Portugal

The Portuguese navigator Diego Cao landed on the Skeleton Coast in 1485 at Cape Cross - named after the stone cross which he erected there. This cross remained until 1893, when it was removed and taken to the Oceanographical museum in Berlin. There are two crosses now at the site, one erected by the Germans, the other by the South Africans. Diego Cao died soon after landing and is buried nearby at Serra Parda.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: Atlantic Ocean

The South Atlantic, to be precise. No African country has a coastline on the Pacific! The Red Sea separates northeast Africa (Egypt, the Sudan and Eritrea) from the Arabian Peninsula.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: Swakopmund

Swakopmund and the nearby city of Walvis Bay are popular resort destinations in Namibia, especially for those daring enough to explore the Skeleton Coast. Swakopmund is home to the National Maritime Museum and many golf courses. Walvis Bay is also a destination city but it is much more industrialized than Swakopmund and has more sports arenas. Both cities have a heavily Germanic culture.

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: the Namib

The Namib is about eighty million years old, and has the world's highest sand dunes. It is sometimes called the Living Desert due to the wide range of its fauna. The Kalahari covers much of Botswana and extends into Namibia. The Nubian Desert is in northeast Africa, and the Atacama is in South America.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Fish

The Fish River Canyon, according to some sources, is the second largest in the world. Even if it is not second, it is still a spectacular. It is a hundred miles long and in places is up to eleven miles wide. In some areas it is almost half a mile deep.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: Windhoek

Swakopmund and Luederitz are on the coast. Grootfontein is inland, in the east of the country.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: Fog

Cassimbo is a kind of fog caused by the meeting of the cold ocean current and the warm winds from the desert. The cassimbo is a very thick fog that makes it impossible to see. Cassimbo is responsible for the many shipwrecks that are littered up and down the Skeleton Coast. Each year, less than a half inch of rain falls.

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: Angola

The border with Angola is 1,376 kilometres long, just slightly longer than the border with Botswana which extends for 1,360 kilometres. The border with South Africa extends for 967 kilometres, and that with Zambia for 233 kilometres.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: rand

Although the Namibian dollar is the official currency the South African rand is used. South Africa was given mandate to rule over Namibia, a former German colony, in 1920. South Africa remained in control for over seventy years, Namibia finally become independent in 1990.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: 317,700 sq miles

So it's just over twice the size of California and well over three times the size of the U.K.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: From the whale bones that lie ashore

The whaling industry was once very prosperous off the coast of Namibia. Whale and seal bones would wash ashore, which gave the area its name. In modern times, the wrecks of ships, called skeletons, are a common sight along the Skeleton Coast. The Skeleton Coast was popularized worldwide by author John Henry Marsh in his novel of the same name about a shipwreck.

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: Ovambo

Over fifty percent of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe. Others include the Damara, Caprivian, and Nama, as well as those listed above. The San, popularly known as "the bushmen", are one of the smallest ethnic groups, numbering about thirty thousand. They are also the oldest group, having inhabited the area for at least thirty thousand years. Examples of their ancient rock art have been dated to twenty eight thousand years ago.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: I

The capital of Namibia is Windhoek. The name Windhoek is of Dutch origin meaning 'corner of wind'. Windhoek is located on Namibia central high plateau region.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: 1.8 million

The country is very sparsely inhabited. (This figure is taken from the 'World Factbook', 2001 ed., published by the CIA. Other sources give slighter lower figures - in the range 1.5 million - 1.7 million).

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: Surfing

Skeleton Bay or Donkey's Bay is located in a particularly brutal and challenging part of the Skeleton Coast. The only way there is to hire a local guide to drive you. Skeleton Bay has some of the world's longest waves and is usually not crowded. Any potential surfers must bring all of their own supplies, food and water, the latter of which is very scarce in the Skeleton Coast.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Kalahari

The Kalahari Desert is the ninth largest desert in the world. It comprises of parts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: The interior portion of the Skeleton Coast

While the area of the Skeleton Coast along the shoreline has soft sand and has a tolerable climate in portions, the interior just beyond the shoreline is particularly difficult. The sand is rockier and the cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean do not reach inland as much so the weather is typically very dry and very hot. The Portuguese sailors who were lucky enough to land safely called the area the Gates of Hell while the local Bushmen call it "the land God made in anger".

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Angola

Angola is a former Portuguese colony. There are plans for coastal park that would stretch from Angola through Namibia to South Africa.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: Namibian Dollar

The South African Rand is also widely used, mainly for larger transactions.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: Cape Fria

Cape Fria is part of Skeleton Coast National Park and is best known for its colony of seals. Cape Fria is so remote that it is only accessible via helicopter. Its remoteness protect the seals from human activity and from hunting in the Golden Age of the whaling industry off Namibia's coast. Its name in English means "cold cape", a reference to its fierce winds.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Atlantic

The coast of Namibia is a desolate area of sand dunes. It is extremely arid. In this area the famous "Welwitschia Mirabilis" plant is found. This plant gets all the moisture it needs from the thick fogs which prevail in the area. These fogs are generated by the cold Benguelan current which flows northwards up the coast.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Nujoma

Sam Nujoma became president in March 1990. Sir Seretse Khama became the first president of Botswana in 1966. Joseph Kenyatta became the first president of Kenya in 1964. President Domitien Ndayizeye became Burundi's head of state in 2003.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Skeleton Coast

The Skeleton Coast is so named because of the many sailors who perished on this desolate sandy coast. This sailor who made to shore did not live to tell the tale as this arid coastal area is virtually devoid of water and vegetation. The alternative answers are all to be found in British Columbia, Canada.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: 1990

It was among the last African country to gain independence.

From Quiz Namibia's Skeleton Coast

Answer: Roar

The sand dunes along the Skeleton Coast are said to roar and some visitors claim they sound like low flying jets. The roaring sound comes from the wind that is trapped between the grains of sand at the bottom of the dune and cannot escape.

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: Namibian dollar

The Namibian dollar was introduced in September 1993, and is still linked to the South African rand which is also legal tender in Namibia. The birr is the currency unit of Ethiopia. The Kwacha is the currency unit of Zambia, and the naira is the currency unit of Nigeria.

From Quiz 9 for 10 - Namibia

Answer: Afrikaans

English and Afrikaans are the most widely spoken languages. However, German is spoken in some areas as Namibia, then known as German South-West Africa was a German colony from 1884 until WWI. There are also several native languages spoken.

From Quiz Namibia: Some Basic Facts

Answer: South Africa

The country was a German colony from about 1885-1914, when it was conquered by South Africa. It became a League of Nations (later United Nations) 'mandate' administered by South Africa, but from about 1965-90 it was for most purposes treated as if it were an integral part of South Africa. During the later stages of S. African rule it was subject to 'apartheid' - the South African white supremacist system of racial separation. (Incidentally, the first governor of what was then German South-West Africa was one Heinrich Ernst Goering, the father of the notorious Nazi leader, Hermann Goering).

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: Reichsmarschall Herman Goering

Goering's father, Dr. Heinrich Goering, was Governor of German South West Africa, as Namibia was then known. The indigenous people suffered badly under his regime, especially the Herero tribe whose numbers were reduced to only sixteen thousand from the original eighty thousand. Herman Goering commanded the German airforce - the Luftwaffe. Albert Kesselring was Commander in Chief, Mediterranean and Italy. Karl Doenitz commanded the German Navy - the Kriegsmarine, and succeeded Hitler as Head of State. Erwin Rommel is undoubtedly the best known German general, and was nicknamed "The Desert Fox" on account of his North Africa campaigns.

From Quiz Namibia - a fascinating country

Answer: red, white, blue, green, gold

The national flag was adopted at independence on 21st March 1990. It is divided diagonally with blue at the top, green at the bottom, and a broad red band flanked by narrow white strips at the centre. The blue section has a golden yellow sun on it. As with most national flags the colours and emblem are symbolic. The sun symbolizes energy, and the gold is for the Namib desert. Blue represents the sky and ocean, and green the vegetation. The red band stands for the people and their heroism, and the white is for peace.

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