| Namibia is a largely arid country of stark rough-hewn | | | | melons, and other water bearing plants as well as |
| beauty. The most vivid images are those of a | | | | underground sip wells supply their water |
| haunting technicolor landscape of swirling orange | | | | requirements.In Namibia today, Bushmen number |
| dunes, shimmering mirages and treacherous dust | | | | about 50,000. Historians estimate that they have |
| devils. The apparent desolation is deceptive and plant | | | | lived, mostly as hunters and gatherers, for at least |
| and animal life and even man has adapted to this | | | | 25,000 years in these parts of the world. Bushmen |
| environment. The country is designed almost specially | | | | speak in a peculiar click language and are very gifted |
| with the active and adventure seeker in mind. | | | | in the arts of storytelling, mimicry, and dance. |
| Timeless deserts, thorn bush savanna, desolate wind | | | | Namibia’s other people, who are indigenous to |
| ravaged coastlines, majestic canyons, and sun-baked | | | | the continent, are mostly of Bantu origin. They are |
| saltpans are the bounty that awaits the | | | | thought to have arrived from western Africa from |
| traveler.Namibia’s top draw is the Etosha | | | | about 2,400 years ago. The African groups include |
| National Park, rated as one of Africa’s finest | | | | the Owambo, Kavango, Caprivians, Herero, Himba, |
| game sanctuaries. The birding experience in the | | | | Damara, Nama and Tswana.The Africans aside, other |
| country is truly superior. On a Namibia safari, the | | | | groups comprise about 15% of the population and |
| range of activities you can indulge in the | | | | have played an important role in the emergence of |
| unsurpassable physical environment is truly impressive. | | | | the modern nation. White Namibians amount to about |
| Ballooning over the desert, skydiving over land and | | | | 120,00 and are mainly of German and Afrikaner |
| sea, paragliding, whitewater rafting and sand skiing | | | | heritage. Germans arrived in significant numbers after |
| along coastal dunes are good activities for starters. | | | | 1884 when Bismarck declared the country a German |
| More fun games to pick from include abseiling | | | | Protectorate. Afrikaners, white farmers of Dutch |
| – that most spectacular of rock sports, | | | | origin, moved north from their Cape settlements, |
| coastal and fresh water angling, desert camel riding, | | | | especially after the Dutch Cape Colony was ceded to |
| scuba diving, 4x4 desert runs, hiking and | | | | the British in 1806. This strongly independent people, |
| mountaineering.Namibia has four distinct geographical | | | | whose ancestors had lived in the Cape from 1652 |
| regions. In the north is Etosha Pan, a great area for | | | | resented British control.Two other distinct groups |
| wildlife and heart of Etosha National Park. The slender | | | | complete the spectrum of Namibia’s people - |
| Caprivi Strip is nested between Zambia and | | | | Basters and Coloureds. Coloured in Namibia and |
| Botswana and is a wet area of woodland blessed | | | | southern Africa refers to people of mixed racial |
| with a few rivers. Along the coast is the Namib | | | | heritage, black- white for example. They have a |
| Desert, which at the age of 80 million years old, is | | | | separate identity and culture. This makes sense |
| said to be the world’s oldest desert. At the | | | | considering that Namibia was run by South Africa |
| coast, the icy cold Atlantic meets the blazing African | | | | after the First World War. Even in pre-Apartheid |
| desert, resulting in dense fogs. The well-watered | | | | South Africa, racial classification was a fine art. The |
| central plateau runs north to south, and carries | | | | Afrikaans-speaking Basters, descended from |
| rugged mountains, magnificent canyons, rocky | | | | Hottentot women and Dutch settlers of the Cape. |
| outcrops and expansive plains.Namibia, one and half | | | | Alienated from both white and black communities, |
| times the size of France, is very sparsely inhabited | | | | they trekked northwards, finally founding their own |
| and carries only 1.8 million souls. The people are as | | | | town Rehoboth, in 1871. Baster is actually derived |
| unique as the land they live on. The most intriguing | | | | from “bastard”, but it is not |
| are the San, otherwise known as Bushmen. These | | | | derogatory, and the Basters are indeed proud of |
| most hardy of people have a highly advanced | | | | it.Namibia’s barren and unwelcoming coastlines |
| knowledge of their environment. It is a marvelous | | | | served as a natural deterrent to the ambitions of |
| thing how well they are adapted to their difficult | | | | European explorers. That was until 1884 when the |
| habitat. Just pause and think that these are the only | | | | German merchant Adolf Luderitz established a |
| people in the world who live with no permanent | | | | permanent settlement between the Namib Desert |
| access to water. In the Kalahari Desert, one of their | | | | and the Atlantic seaboard that afterwards took his |
| domiciles, surface water is not to be found. Tubers, | | | | name. |