Middle East / Africa
Country profile: Namibia
| Location: | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa |
| Climate: | desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic |
| Terrain: | mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east |
| Size: | 825418 sq. km total (Land area: 825418 sq. km ) |
| Population: | 2,088,669 |
| Languages: | English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Windhoek |
| Legal system: | based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), which evolved into the Southern African Development Community (SADC) , has been in existence since 1980. The original nine member-countries were Angola , Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa joined SADC in 1994 followed by Mauritius (1995), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, 1997). In 2005, SADC granted Madagascar membership. In addition to belonging to SADC, Angola, DRC, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | ||
| Consumption: | 18,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Exports: | ||
| Imports: | 17,580 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Reserves: | 59 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) | |
| Major fields: |
Namibia - recent news
| 16 Sep 25 |
Namibia: Eco Atlantic announces Namibia portfolio update - Farmout of PEL 98 and License extensions for PEL's 97, 99 and 100 Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas, a leading independent oil and gas exploration company focused on the Atlantic Margin, has announced key developments in its Namibian portfolio aimed at optimising operations and exploration focus. |
| 02 Sep 25 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica provides Kavango West 1X drilling update Reconnaissance Energy Africa has provided a drilling update on the Kavango West 1X exploration well that spud on July 31, 2025. |
| 01 Aug 25 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica provides corporate update and announces that the Kavango West 1X well has started drilling Reconnaissance Energy Africa has announced that the Kavango West 1X exploration well is currently drilling and provides a corporate update on ongoing operations. |
| 29 Jul 25 |
Namibia: Pancontinental Energy provides PEL 87 prospective resources upgrade Pancontinental Energy has provided the following update in relation to its estimates of prospective resources for the Company's PEL 87 project, Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. |
| 28 Jul 25 |
Namibia: BW Energy contracts Deepsea Mira for drilling Kudu appraisal well BW Energy, together with NAMCOR E&P, has announced that it has contracted the Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig for the drilling of the Kharas appraisal well on the Kudu licence (PPL003) offshore Namibia in the Orange Basin, scheduled for the second half of 2025. |
Namibia - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
