During the First World War the South African forces gained control of German South West Africa and following the Treaty of Versailles continued to administer the areas as South West Africa. Resolution 435 of the United Nations in 1989 finally resulted in a peaceful independence for the Namibia people in 1990.

How did Namibia gain independence from Germany?

In the 1960s Toivo ja Toivo and others were arrested for defiance against the South African government, and later sent to Robben Island. In 1988, the South African government, under a UN brokered peace initiative, finally agreed to give up control of Namibia. And on 21 March 1990, Namibia was granted its independence.

Who fought for freedom in Namibia?

Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, (/nuːˈjoʊmə/; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005.

How did Namibia gain freedom and equality?

The guerrilla movement, popularly known as SWAPO, fought a 23-year-long war against South African control. ... Finally, in 1988, the South African government, under a UN-brokered peace initiative, agreed to give up control of Namibia. On March 21, 1990, Namibia was granted its independence.

Is Namibia rich or poor?

Despite its high income, Namibia has a poverty rate of 26.9 percent, an unemployment rate of 29.6 percent and an HIV prevalence rate of 16.9 percent. Poverty in Namibia is acute in the northern regions of Kavango, Oshikoto, Zambezi, Kunene and Ohangwena, where upwards of one-third of the population lives in poverty.

How Namibia got independence

Who ruled Namibia before independence?

Early in the 20th Century Namibia was a German Colony. After the 1st World War it became a League of Nations administered territory. Following the 2nd World War, South Africa administered Namibia, until independence in 1990.

Why is Namibia not part of South Africa?

In August 1966, the South African Border War began between the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) and the South African Defence Force. ... In 1993, South Africa ceded Walvis Bay to Namibia: this small enclave was never part of German West Africa and so had not been part of the mandate territory.

What was Namibia formerly called?

Namibia, officially Republic of Namibia, also called (internationally until 1968) South West Africa, Afrikaans Namibië or Suidwesafrica, country located on the southwestern coast of Africa.

Who rules Namibia?

Namibia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Namibia is elected to a five-year term and is both the head of state and the head of government. All members of the government are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature.

Who is the oldest person in Namibia?

"By Kaleni Hiyalwa Tatekulu Wilhem Shinima Niilenge ""aka"" Shelengane was born on 6 April 1894. He is still alive at 113 years and living in a village called Elondo in Uukwaludhi in the Omusati Region in northern Namibia.

Why did traders come to Namibia?

Politically, most traders occupied a middle ground: content with their own social position, but intent on political emancipation from colonial rule. Economically, their energy and business acumen transformed northern Namibia into an increasingly urban consumer society.

Why did Germany take over Namibia?

In 1886 the border between Angola and what would become German South West Africa was negotiated between the German and Portuguese nations. ... The reason Germany selected Namibia as its “protectorate” was influenced by the fact that a tobacco merchant from Bremen, Franz Luderitz, bought up coastal land in the area in 1882.

Was Togo a German colony?

Togo was a protectorate of the German Empire from 1884 to 1914 and surviving works of German architecture - such as the Governor's Palace in the capital Lome - testify to Berlin's rule over the West African territory more than a century ago.

Did Germany colonize any country?

Germany's colonies included Togo, Cameroon, German South-West Africa (present-day Namibia), German East Africa (present-day Tanzania), three territories that are now in Papua New Guinea (Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the German Solomon Islands), and several territories in the Pacific: the Marshall ...

How long was Namibia a German colony?

Background. The areas of German South West Africa (now Namibia) were formally colonized by Germany between 1884–90. The semiarid territory was more than twice as large as Germany, yet it had only a fraction of the population—approximately 250,000 people.

Are Namibians friendly?

As a whole, Namibians are incredibly friendly, the country's infrastructure is good, and the level of corruption found here is far less than neighbouring countries. It is, overwhelmingly, a peaceful and welcoming country.

Who named Namibia?

Meet Mburumba Kerina, the man who named Namibia!

Why is Namibia a weird shape?

Namibia's Caprivi Strip Exists Because the Germans Forgot Victoria Falls. Namibia's Caprivi Strip, a 280-mile-long panhandle, only exists as is because Germans thought the Zambezi would lead to the Indian Ocean. ... But the Caprivi Strip's odd past—and turbulent present—are an accident.

How old is South Africa?

Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 170,000 years.

Why did Germany take over the Caprivi Strip?

The territory was acquired by the then German South West Africa in order to provide access to the Zambezi River and consequently a route to the east coast of the continent and German East Africa. ... Its largest settlement is Katima Mulilo, located at the point where the Zambezi reaches the Strip.

Which country colonized South Africa?

The two European countries who occupied the land were the Netherlands (1652-1795 and 1803-1806) and Great Britain (1795-1803 and 1806-1961). Although South Africa became a Union with its own white people government in 1910, the country was still regarded as a colony of Britain till 1961.

Why did the Oorlam move to Namibia?

Beginning in the late 18th century, Oorlam communities migrated from the Cape Colony north to Namaqualand. They settled places earlier occupied by the Nama. They came partly to escape Dutch colonial conscription, partly to raid and trade, and partly to obtain herding lands.

What did Germany do to Namibia?

The Herero and Namaqua genocide or the Herero and Nama genocide was a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment waged by the German Empire against the Herero (Ovaherero), the Nama, and the San in German South West Africa (now Namibia).

Was Kenya colonized or a colonizer?

The British Empire colonized Kenya in 1895 largely to protect its commercial interests in East Africa. After the fall of the Imperial British East Africa Company, the British government decided to turn Kenya into a protectorate that would defend and consolidate its commercial interests in the region.