Namibia

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Namibia fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. Oorlam Afrikaners1835 to 1870

   Oorlam commandos with guns and horses, led by Jonker Afrikaner from Windhoek, dominate the Herero of central Namibia from the 1830s. After Jonker's death in 1861 the Herero under Maharero fight back, and a peace is made at Okahandja in 1870.

2. 🇩🇪 German Empire1893 to 1908

   Germany's war against the Herero and Nama from 1904 to 1908 kills most of the Herero and about half of the Nama, a genocide Germany acknowledged in 2021. The Nama leader Hendrik Witbooi had already fought the Germans in 1893 and 1894.

3. 🇵🇹 Portuguese Republic1904 to 1915

   The Ovambo kingdoms straddle the border drawn by Germany and Portugal in 1886. The Portuguese suffer a heavy defeat at Cuamato in 1904, but in 1915 they win at Mongua, and the Kwanyama king Mandume moves his capital south of the border.

4. 🇿🇦 South Africa1915 to 1990

   South Africa conquers the German colony in 1915 and rules it under a League of Nations mandate. It defies the UN, which ended the mandate in 1966, and the International Court of Justice, which in 1971 ruled its presence illegal. SWAPO's guerrilla war lasts until 1989.

5. 🇿🇦 South Africa1990 to 1994

   South Africa keeps Walvis Bay, Namibia's only deep water port, at independence in 1990. Negotiations lead to joint administration in 1992 and the full transfer of the port to Namibia on 1 March 1994.

6. 🇿🇦 South AfricaSince 1990Still open

   Under the 1890 Anglo-German treaty the border follows the north bank of the Orange River, leaving the whole river to South Africa. Namibia argues it should follow the middle of the river, and the question remains unsettled.

7. 🇧🇼 Botswana1992 to 1999

   Namibia and Botswana both claim Kasikili, or Sedudu, a small island in the Chobe River used for seasonal grazing. The International Court of Justice rules for Botswana in 1999, and Namibia accepts the decision.

Today

Namibia now

Various ethnic groups occupied southwestern Africa prior to Germany establishing a colony over most of the territory in 1884. South Africa occupied the colony, then known as German South West Africa, in 1915 during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory.

Capital

Windhoek

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Elijah Ngurare

Head of state

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Languages

English

Area

824,292 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population3.0 million2023 · 514,600 in 1950
• Life expectancy67.4 years2023 · 41.9 years in 1950
• GDP per person$7,9792022 · $4,009 in 1950
• Living in cities51%2025 · 16% in 1950
• Literacy88%2023
• Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending2.8% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.