Overview: Since Namibia has one of the most uninviting and desolate
coastlines in the world, it was neglected by European explorers
like the Portuguese, who limited their activities to setting up
navigational crosses along the desert shoreline. Today visitors
have discovered the vast potential of a country rich in natural
resources, with desert landscapes, sunshine, wildlife and a rugged,
barren beauty. It was only later, during the last half of the 19th century,
that the race for colonies among the world powers began, and so
ensued the German control that became Namibia's colonial reign of
terror. The indigenous tribes tried vigorously to retain their
independence, and in 1904 a major uprising by the Herero and Nama
people resulted in massive genocide retaliation by the
colonialists, with an estimated 60 percent of the native population
in the south being wiped out. Today the population consists of 11
main ethnic groups, and the towns still reflect the influence of
German colonisation evident in the architecture, food and language,
particularly in the capital city of Windhoek. Namibia has a diversity of natural habitats: the rugged
coastline and haunting beauty of the Skeleton Coast, the endless
stretch of undulating ochre-coloured sand dunes at Sossusvlei, the
impressive gorge of the Fish River Canyon winding through the arid
landscape of the great plateau, and the vast salt pan of Etosha
National Park, one of the world's greatest wildlife viewing venues.
These are the attractions that draw travellers to one of Africa's
more intriguing destinations, the unspoilt wilderness of
Namibia. With a total population of just over two million, a holiday in
Namibia is the opportunity of a lifetime to experience the beauty
of a pristine natural environment teeming with wildlife.
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