Namibia - a fascinating country Quiz

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.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: cheetah

There are an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 cheetahs in Namibia. However this is not a scientifically based estimate, and more accurate research continues. Cheetahs are under pressure from farming and ranching encroachment on their habitat. Leopards and lions are also indigenous big cats in Namibia.

Answer: True

It is called the Dragon's Breath Lake, and is in the Otavi Mountains in north east Namibia. The lake was discovered in 1986, and its surface area is about two hectares. The cave system containing the lake is home to a large population of bats, and their guano floating on the lake surface has produced a unique ecosystem.

Answer: True

It is known as the Hoba Meteorite, and weighs over 50 tons. It fell to earth about eighty thousand years ago, and is on display near Grootfontein. The meteorite was discovered in 1920, and is estimated to be about three hundred million years old. It is composed of 82.4% iron, 16.4% nickel, and 0.76% cobalt, with minor ammounts of other elements comprising the remainder.

Answer: False

Although Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language, it is not the official language of Namibia. English, though spoken as a first language by only about seven percent of the population, is the official language. The most commonly spoken native language is Ovambo (or Oshivambo), and the most common European language is German.

Answer: True

This law protects about 15% of Namibia's land area from commercial or agricultural development, and designates these areas as National Parks. Enforcement and general administration of these areas comes under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. With proper management, this should ensure the future of Namibia's wildlife and associated tourist industry.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: Namibia, Land of the Brave

"Namibia, Land of the Brave' was composed by Axali Doeseb. The words of the first verse echo the country's long struggle for independence: "Namibia, land of the brave, Freedom's fight we have won, Glory to their bravery, whose blood waters our freedom". The chorus is "Namibia our Country, Namibia our Motherland, we love thee".

Answer: SWAPO

SWAPO is the acronym for South West Africa People's Organisation. The organisation carried out guerilla activities against South African forces from 1966. Its former leader, Sam Nujoma, became Namibia's first president following the elections in 1990. GRAPO is the para military wing of the Spanish Communist party, and is responsible for many acts of terror and assassination.

The PKK is a radical Kurdish group, seeking independence from Turkey and Iraq. UNITA was an anti government guerilla group operating in Angola.

Answer: 21st March 1990

Until 1915 Namibia was a German colony known as South West Africa. It was captured by South African forces during World War I, and in 1920 South Africa was given a League of Nations mandate to govern the territory. After lengthy international negotiations, and a guerilla campaign by SWAPO, South Africa agreed to give up its mandate and grant independence to Namibia. Elections then took place under United Nations supervision, and the former leader of SWAPO, Dr. Sam Nujoma, was elected president.