Travel Alert Status
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate
Namibia’s climate is typical of a semi-desert and high plateau country, with hot days and cool nights. In mid-summer (December–February), daytime temperatures can exceed 100°F in lower elevations. In Windhoek, January average high temperatures are in the 90s. Winter (May–September) sees daytime highs of about 70°F; nights can be cold, dipping below freezing. Windhoek enjoys about 300 sunny days a year. Rains usually come from December through March, peaking in February, for a yearly average rainfall of 12–16 inches in Windhoek. The unrelenting dryness of the rest of the year makes the rains refreshing, welcome, and eagerly anticipated, turning the mountains surrounding Windhoek green for the brief summer months.
Travel Currency
Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)
Languages
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Ethnic Groups
black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%
National Holiday
Independence Day, 21 March (1990)
Geographic Coordinates
22 00 S, 17 00 E
Location
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
Airports
19