Millions of years ago a dinosaur walked across a stretch of mud. |
Namibia
has a colourful and turbulent history. In the mid-19th century, German
missionaries opened up the interior, paving the way for traders who came
later. The annexation of the country by Germany in 1884 accounts for the
distinctive German architecture and traditions.
After a turbulent past, the country at last became independent on 21 March
1990, and is now peacefully approaching the twenty-first century
became
independent in 1990, when South Africa's control was finally diminished by
the United Nations and the guerrilla group known as SWAPO (South West
Africa People's Organization.) Germany controlled the area until World War
I, when South Africa invaded the colony and imposed
75 years of rule. The German influence, their language, architecture, and
sense of organization, is still evident, particularly in the country's
superior infrastructure, and the restaurants in Windhoek. While the new
nation still depends on South Africa for some foodstuff (and wines) the
local ranching, fishing industries and mining are productive, along with
growing tourism.
The
desert terrain is good for Precambrian fossils, and scientists from Yale
and the American Museum of Natural History explore the limestone deposits
of Namibia on an annual basis.
The Etosha Pan, twice the size of Utah's
Great Salt Lake, was filled with water 100,000 years ago, until local
rivers shifted their course towards the Atlantic. Now Etosha shimmers only
with mirages, yet this dry area is home to 3,000 species of birds and
mammals. The Singing Rocks south of Goageb are resonant black limestone.
Most of Namibia is a plateau ranging from 3,600 feet above sea level,
although the Skeleton Coast gained its name for mingling sand with the
bones of seafarers.
Despite
its desert landscape, Namibia has a healthy elephant population, in the
Caprivi and Etosha regions, as well as the arid terrain of the northwest.
These desert herds were filmed by Des & Jen Bartlett in their National
Geographic video, Survivors of the Skeleton Coast. Poaching is minimal and
the main threat to the wildlife is loss of habitat, which is true for
elephants throughout Africa and Asia.
