Forgotten World (82): Namibia
What is today called Namibia was in the late 1800s taken over by Germany which it called South West Africa. South Africa seized the country during the First World War and administered it under a League of Nations mandate. Namibians finally achieved independence in 1990 after a bush war of almost 25 years.
Namibia is a huge country, mainly desert, but it only has a population of 2 million so that, after Mongolia, it is the least densely populated country in the world (2.5 persons per km²). Like its African neighbours, Namibia’s well-being is being threatened by the HIV/Aids epidemic, which is estimated to affect 25% of Namibians. Politically the country is still dominated by SWAPO which led the long fight against rule by South Africa.