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Namibia

American  
[nuh-mib-ee-uh] / nəˈmɪb i ə /

noun

  1. a republic in southwestern Africa: a former German protectorate; a mandate of South Africa 1920–66; gained independence 1990. 318,261 sq. mi. (824,296 sq. km). Windhoek.


Namibia British  
/ nɑːˈmɪbɪə, nə- /

noun

  1. Former name (1885–1919): German Southwest Africa.  Also called: South West Africa.  a country in southern Africa bordering on South Africa: annexed by Germany in 1884 and mandated by the League of Nations to South Africa in 1920. The mandate was terminated by the UN in 1966 but this was ignored by South Africa, as was the 1971 ruling by the International Court of Justice that the territory be surrendered. Independence was achieved in 1990 and Namibia became a member of the Commonwealth; Walvis Bay remained a South African enclave until 1994, when it was returned to Namibia. Official language: English; Afrikaans and German also spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with some Christians. Currency: dollar. Capital: Windhoek. Pop: 2 182 852 (2013 est). Area: 823 328 sq km (317 887 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Namibia Cultural  
  1. Country in southwestern Africa, bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; formerly called South West Africa.


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In 1920, South Africa began administering South West Africa under authority of the League of Nations, and in 1971, it rejected the demands of the General Assembly of the United Nations that it withdraw. A nationalist group, the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), waged guerrilla warfare in an attempt to force South Africa out of Namibia. A U.S.-mediated settlement ended the civil war in 1988. In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation.

Other Word Forms

  • Namibian adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Meanwhile, the Home Office said Angola and Namibia had agreed to step up efforts to take back their citizens, having been threatened with sanctions alongside the DRC.

From BBC

Namibia announced it’s moving 3% of foreign reserves into gold, up from nearly zero.

From MarketWatch

The Nama, who straddle South Africa and Namibia, are descended from the indigenous nomadic peoples – the Khoi and the San – seen as the original human inhabitants of this part of the world.

From BBC

"Namibia and other pro-trade rhino range states have amassed large stockpiles of rhino horn they wish to trade," Taylor Tench, senior wildlife policy analyst with the Environmental Investigation Agency, told the BBC.

From BBC

Also being planned, for greater supply, are hydrogen transport networks between Germany and places as distant as India, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Namibia.

From BBC