Namibia

Namibia is located on the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, surrounded by Angola, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. It won independence from South Africa in 1990 and has been struggling to find its economic footing as a nation. Despite the fact that it is one of Africa's biggest environmental polluters, it has also become a prime destination for ecotourism.

The population is 2,044,174 and growing at 0.59 percent annually. The birth rate is 24.32 per 1,000 people and the death rate is 18.86 per 1,000 people. A third of Namibians live in urban areas. Population density is 1.5 people per square kilometers, making it the second least densely populated country in the world, beat only by Mongolia.

The economy is based on mining (primarily diamonds, uranium, zinc, tin, and silver), augmented by a growing tourism industry. Unemployment is high, with 35 percent of the population living on $1 a day and 56 percent living on $2 a day.

Food security has become an issue over the past several growing seasons. Namibia is mostly desert, with infrequent rains and periodic droughts. Up to 30 percent of the population has relied on humanitarian food aid in recent years. Stunting, a sign of malnutrition, is seen is in a quarter of Namibian children.

Life expectancy at birth is 44.5 years for males and 42.3 years for females. Infant mortality is 47 deaths per 1,000 births. Mortality for children between 1 to 5 years is 62 deaths per 1,000. Maternal mortality is 300 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Eighty percent of Namibians have access to clean water, but only 30 percent of urban residents and 14 percent of rural residents have access to sanitary facilities. Diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid are common, as is malaria. In 1999, 11 percent of the population was found to suffer from schistosomiasis. There was an also outbreak of polio in 2006.

The AIDS rate is high at 21.3 percent, growing primarily through heterosexual contact and mother-to-child transmission. At least 210,000 people are infected, and as early as 1996, it became the leading cause of death within the country. Aid agencies are working with Namibia to come up with a prevention and treatment plan for the population. In 2004, the United States gave Namibia $24.3 million to support its programs.

According to the Namibian Ministry of Health, a study of 41,548 deaths between 1995 and 1999 found that 19 percent of deaths were the result of AIDS, 10 percent resulted from tuberculosis, 9 percent resulted from acute respiratory disease, 8 percent resulted from cerebrovascular accidents, 7 percent resulted [Page 1160]from gastroenteritis, 6 percent resulted from malaria, 6 percent from cancer, 4 percent from prematurity, 3 percent from malnutrition, and 3 percent from septicemia.

The Ministry of Health believes that 80 percent of the population is within 10 kilometers of a health facility. There were 33 district hospitals, 12 private hospitals, 37 health centers, 244 public clinics, and five private clinics in the country in 2000. Nurses are trained within Namibia, usually as part of four-year degree program. All doctors are foreign trained. In 2000, there was 1 doctor for every 7,545 people and one nurse for 947 people.

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