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
| 03 Nov 25 |
Namibia/South Africa: Eliis and Searcher partner to bring fresh insights to the Orange Basin Eliis and Searcher have announced a strategic partnership to analyse extensive seismic data from the Orange Basin. The project will leverage Eliis’s PaleoScan™ software to screen and interpret Searcher’s large scale 3D multi-client seismic surveys. |
| 31 Oct 25 |
Namibia: BW Energy provides update on Kudu appraisal well BW Energy has provided an update on the Kharas-1 appraisal well, which has reached total depth and drilled multiple formations present across the Kudu license. Preliminary results are encouraging. Several intervals show indications of hydrocarbon presence and reservoir potential, suggesting a working petroleum system at Kharas. |
| 20 Oct 25 |
Namibia: bp confirms discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin bp can confirm the preliminary results of the Volans-1X exploration well in Namibia’s Orange Basin, as reported by operator Rhino Resources. The Volans-1X exploration well successfully penetrated the Upper Cretaceous target and encountered 26m of net pay in rich gas condensate-bearing reservoirs, with the reservoir showing excellent petrophysical properties and no observed water contact. |
| 08 Oct 25 |
Namibia: McDermott and PETROFUND partner to advance Namibia's energy talent pipeline McDermott and Namibia's Petroleum Training and Education Fund (PETROFUND) have jointly announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on academic and industrial training initiatives in Namibia's upstream oil and gas sector. |
| 07 Oct 25 |
Namibia: ReconAfrica provides drilling update regarding Kavango West 1X exploration well in Namibia Reconnaissance Energy Africa ('ReconAfrica') has provided an operational update regarding the Kavango West 1X exploration well, onshore Namibia. The Kavango West 1X well is testing a very large structural closure in the Otavi section measuring almost 20 kms long by 3 kms wide. |
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
