10 Interesting facts about Namibia

Namibia is a little-known country in the southern part of Africa. It is a fascinating country, and definitely qualifies as one of the countries you should visit at least once in your lifetime. Here are 10 interesting facts about the country, which might just encourage you to go on a Namibia safari.

It is home to the world’s oldest desert

According to scientists, Namib Desert is over 55 million years old! The desert is also quite large, stretching for 2000 km along the Atlantic coasts of Namibia, South Africa and Angola.

About 30 languages are spoken in the country

The country has a population of close to 2.4 million, and the citizens speak up to 30 languages. The most popular of these is Oshiwambo. English is the recognized official language

It has some of the highest sand dunes in the world

The highest dune in the area rises to 383 metres. Climbing dunes to watch the sunrise is actually a popular tourist activity in the country.

It hosted the world’s most extensive meteorite shower

The Gibeon meteorite shower occurred in prehistoric times in the central part of Namibia. It covered an elliptical area of 275 by 100 km. Remains from this meteorite shower are exhibited at Windhoek, Namibia's capital city.

It contains one of the largest concentrations of rock art in Africa

The San have resided in the country for more than 6,000 years, and there is more than enough rock art to confirm this.

It has the largest population of free roaming cheetahs in the world

At the Cheetah Conservation in Namibia, you can run across one of the 3,000 or so free roaming cheetahs in the country.  

It is also home to the second largest canyon in the world

The Fish River Canyon, located close to the border with South Africa, is also the oldest in the world. Researchers have determined that the canyon was formed at least 500 million years ago through water and wind erosion, coupled with the collapse of the valley floor.

The most fascinating traditional tribe in Africa lives in Namibia

The Himba tribe in the Kunene region of the country have strongly clung to their traditional ways and beliefs. They wear traditional clothes, eat traditional foods and even practice traditional religions. The women wear skirts and leave their upper body bare. Basically, they have been unaffected by modernism in any way.

The Skeleton Coast is the world’s biggest grave site for sailors and ships

A large number of sailors have died at this coast, given the dense fog and the violent storms in the area. In the 1940’s, a slate was discovered along with human skeletons. The slate was written by a survivor, and directed anyone who found it north. Unfortunately, the wreck had happened close to a century earlier.

The Namibian dollar is used interchangeably with the South African Rand

Under South African rule, the country used the rand to transact, and only started using the Namibian dollar after independence. Currently, both currencies are acceptable in the country.