Situated in Southern Africa and flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on its west, the Republic of Namibia shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. The name of the country is derived from the Namib Desert, considered to be the oldest desert in the world. It is in this desert, about 70 km from the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, that Swakop Uranium’s proposed Husab project will be constructed.
With a population of 2.1 million people and at 825,418 km2, Namibia is the world's thirty-fourth largest country and the least densely populated country in the world after Mongolia.
The country gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990 following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations, the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. Before its independence in 1990, the area was known first as German South-West Africa, then as South-West Africa, reflecting the colonial occupation by the Germans and the South Africans.
The politics of Namibia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Namibia is elected to a five-year term and is both the head of state and the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the bicameral Parliament, the National Assembly and the National Council. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Since independence, Namibia has successfully completed the transition from white minority apartheid rule to a democratic society. Multi-party democracy was introduced and has been maintained, with local, regional and national elections held regularly. Several registered political parties are active and represented in the National Assembly, although the Swapo Party has won every election since independence. The transition from the 15-year rule of President Sam Nujoma to his successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba went smoothly. Pohamba took office on 21 March 2005, and was easily reelected in 2009, taking 75% of the vote.
Namibia is one of the best destinations in the world to develop a project such as the proposed Husab uranium mine. The country is used to mining and pro-active in welcoming mining investment. To this end, the ministry of Mining and Energy’s mission is to “promote, facilitate and regulate the responsible development and sustainable utilisation of Namibia’s mineral, geological and energy resources for the benefit of all Namibians”.
Namibia’s economy is tied closely to South Africa’s economy due to their shared history. It consists primarily of mining (12.4% of the gross domestic product in 2007), agriculture and manufacturing. In terms of revenue, mining is the biggest contributor to Namibia's economy, accounting for 25% of the country's income. Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and the world's fourth largest producer of uranium. There has been significant investment in uranium mining and Namibia is set to become the world’s second largest exporter of uranium by 2015 when the Husab mine is expected to reach full production.
