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Some
well known and not so facts about Namibia.
* You can see elephants
just 1 hour of driving from Windhoek - at Okambara
Ranch near Witvlei
* The inhabitant of the
Namib desert, the fossil plant Welwitschia Mirabilis
has a lifespan of up to 2000 years.
* The Republic of Namibia has been the first country to include
protection of the environment in the Constitution of the
country.
* Approximately 13.6 percent of the country's surface area
is protected, either as a nature reserve, recreation area or game park.
* On the last Sunday in August every year members of Herero community gather in small town Okahandja to pay respect
to their heroes fallen during colonial times and independence struggle.
* The colourful dresses of Herero women were
adapted from the dresses of the wives of Finnish missionaries in the 19th
century.
* An unusual aloe species, Aloe viridiflora, which is endemic to Namibia is
found in central region of the country and in the mountains around
Windhoek.
The plant flowers in August and in September.
* The Gibeon Meteorite shower is the largest ever discovered in 1838
by the explorer Sir J. Alexander.
* Hunting season in Namibia is open from 1 January to 30 of
November.
Hunting in the country ranges from trophy
to safari hunts.
* Arnhem Cave is the longest cave system in
Namibia. Situated on the farm Arnhem, 120 km east of Windhoek. There are six bat species
in the cave, including the giant leaf-nosed bat.
* The largest Namibia's population group is Owambo,
living in the northern part of the country.
* The Tsumeb mine which has been closed recently down was
once the richest source of lead and zinc in Africa. More than 200 different
minerals have been found in and around Tsumeb.
It is up and running again!
* Dragon's Breath is the largest underground lake in the
world and situated on the farm Hariseb, 46 km north - west from
Grootfontein off the road C42 to Tsumeb.
* Hoba Meteorite, discovered in the 1920s, is the largest
known meteorite in the world and situated 20 km from Grootfontein. The meteorite is
approximately 80 000 years old and its weight is more than 50 tons.
* There is a large amount of artillery and ammunition that
was
dumped by retreating German forces in 1915 on the bottom of the Otjikoto lake which
is located 20 km north-west of town Tsumeb. A number of extracted cannons, machine guns
and other weapons can be seen in Tsumeb museum and in Alte
Feste Museum in Windhoek.
* The Namib Desert is regarded as the oldest desert in the world.
* The Giants' Playground - site littered with huge balancing
basalt boulders and Quiver Tree Forest can be seen
approximately 14 km north-east of Keetmanshoop near
Quiver Tree Forest Camp.
* Namibia has the largest free-roaming cheetah population
in the world - an estimated 2 500.
* Rossing Mine is the largest open-cast uranium mine in the world.
* Mine in a small town Uis is the largest known tin reserve.
* Farm Bitterwasser is renowned amongst soaring enthusiast where many international
records have been established. The farm is situated south-east of Windhoek.
* Hot air balloon excursions over Sossusvlei are offered
from Sesriem and on the NamibRand Nature Reserve, one of the largest
privately-owned game reserves in Africa.
* The major export product in the southern part of Namibia is karakul pelts. The
karakul sheep was brought from Asia and introduced in Namibia in 1907.
* The Petrified Forest
is a protected site of prehistoric petrified trunks situated 40
km west of Khorixas.
* The Hardap Dam is the largest man-made lake in the
country and situated 15 km north-west of town Mariental.
* Republic of Namibia has had a total of 559 674 visitors in 1998 - 11.49% more
than a previous year.
* There are a horse graves site on the way to
Walvis Bay just outside of Swakopmund where more than 1650 horses and mules were shot in
1915 by South African army.
* The word "safari" means "travel" in Swahili.
* The first railway line in the country was built at Cape Cross by the Damaraland Guano Company in 1895.
* First cinema in Namibia was built in Kolmanskop.
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