Namibia is a fascinating tourist country in the southern part of Africa. Its capital is Windhoek, which means ‘windy corner’. There are so many interesting facts about Namibia, that may interest you as a tourist. Firstly, Namibia shares boundaries with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country is sparsely occupied with only 2million citizens.
The official language of Namibia is English, therefore tourists who visit the area will have no challenges communicating with the locals. The country, however, speaks up to 30 languages including Portuguese and German.
Namibia is also the first country in the world to incorporate environmental protection into their constitution, thereby making the country tourist-friendly.
Interesting facts about Namibia and Tourist areas you should visit
The Namib desert in Namibia is one of the world’s oldest deserts. The Namib desert has been around for at least 55 million years. It is devoid of surface water but bisected by many dry riverbeds. Animals like Hartmann’s zebras and gemsbok live on the vegetated riverbeds of the desert.
Namibia also has the second largest canyon in the world. The Canyon named the Fish River Canyon is located close to the border with South Africa. Researchers claimed the canyon was formed at least 500 million years ago through water and wind erosion, and the collapse of the valley floor.
Namibia has some of the highest sand dunes in the world such as the big daddy dunes and colossal dunes. Dune 7, measured at 388m is the highest of them all. The Big daddy, measured at 325m is the most populous dune in the country. Tourists who visit the country often take the challenge of reaching the peak of the dune as a bragging right. You should however ensure to take a lot of water with you before embarking on such a tedious hike.
One tourist location you should visit while in Namibia is the Skeleton Coast. In the 1940s, a slate by a survivor was discovered along with human skeletons and a shipwreck. The slate directed anyone who found it to the north of Namibia. Researchers discovered that the wreck had happened a century ago, long before the slate was found. The skeleton coast in Namibia serves as the biggest gravesite for sailors.
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You will also find about 3000 free roaming cheetahs at the Cheetah Conservation in Namibia.
One beautiful place to also see is the Gibeon meteorite shower. The Gibeon meteorite shower is the largest and most expensive meteorite shower on Earth. It covers a wide elliptical area of 275 by 100 kilometres and is located on Brukkaros south of Mariental.
Over 80% of the country’s citizens are Christians. More than half of the Christian population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
