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Namibia Information and History
Namibia is a large and sparsely populated country on Africa's southwest coast. The low population can be attributed to the country's harsh geography—the coastal Namib Desert, central semiarid mountains, and Kalahari Desert east of the mountains. About 87 percent of the residents are black, and 6 percent are white. During World War I, South Africa captured the area from Germany—ethnic Germans are still a sizable minority. Independence from South Africa was achieved in 1990. The multiparty, multiracial democracy inherits an economy based on mining (mostly diamonds), sheep and cattle ranching, and fishing.
ECONOMY
Industry: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining (diamonds, lead, zinc).
Agriculture: millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish.
Exports: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead.
Namibia Fast Facts
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Population
2,031,000
Capital
Windhoek; 237,000
Area
824,292 square kilometers
(318,261 square miles)
Language
English, Afrikaans, German, indigenous languages
Religion
Christian, indigenous beliefs
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Currency
Namibian dollar, South African rand
Life Expectancy
49
GDP per Capita
U.S. $6,900
Literacy Percent
84
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Botswana Information and History
A landlocked country in southern Africa, Botswana enjoys a mild climate in the east; the Kalahari Desert dominates the west and south. The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in the north are areas of outstanding natural beauty, rich in animal life. Elephants at Chobe are the largest in body size of all living elephants; they number about 120,000. Stable and prosperous, Botswana has blossomed since independence from Britain in 1966. It is Africa's longest continuous democracy and one of the world's biggest diamond producers.
ECONOMY
Industry: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, livestock processing, textiles.
Agriculture: sorghum, maize, millet; livestock.
Exports: diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat.
Botswana Fast Facts
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Population
1,640,000
Capital
Gaborone; 199,000
Area
581,730 square kilometers
(224,607 square miles)
Language
English, Setswana
Religion
Indigenous beliefs, Christian
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Currency
pula
Life Expectancy
37
GDP per Capita
U.S. $8,500
Literacy Percent
80
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Zambia Information and History
A landlocked country in central Africa, Zambia occupies an elevated plateau, flanked in the south by the Zambezi River—and Victoria Falls. There are more than 70 ethnic groups, and most of them live in Lusaka, the capital, or in the cities of the Copperbelt—the two largest, Ndola and Kitwe, have more than 400,000 people each. It is one of sub-Saharan Africa's most highly urbanized countries.
Endowed with huge copper reserves and fertile farmland, Zambia looked to the future with optimism after independence from Britain in 1964. But copper prices plummeted in the mid-1970s, and transport costs soared. The economy has been in decline ever since, and copper, vital to Zambia's economy, suffers from declining prices.
Farming will become increasingly important; only a fifth of the arable land is cultivated. Thundering Victoria Falls and other power sources bring self-sufficiency in hydroelectricity.
Zambia's first multiparty elections in 19 years were held in 1991, in which President Frederick Chiluba was elected. He won reelection in 1996, but international observers cited harassment of opposition parties. A coup was attempted in 1997 but suppressed, and there were alleged voting irregularities in the 2001 elections.
More than 70 percent of Zambians live in poverty, and unemployment is a serious problem. Zambia depends on copper for most of its foreign earnings so the economy suffers when copper prices decline. AIDS is blamed for decimating the cream of Zambian professionals, including engineers and political leaders. It kills around 100,000 people each year.
ECONOMY
Industry: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages.
Agriculture: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts; cattle.
Exports: copper, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers.
Zambia Fast Facts
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Population
11,227,000
Capital
Lusaka; 1,394,000
Area
752,614 square kilometers
(290,586 square miles)
Language
English, indigenous languages
Religion
Christian, Muslim, Hindu
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Currency
Zambian kwacha
Life Expectancy
41
GDP per Capita
U.S. $800
Literacy Percent
81
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