page_title: Namibia
section_title: Tourism
hierarchical_section_title: Namibia / Tourism
caption_attribution_description: Equus quagga burchellii Gray, 1824 English: Damara Zebras at Chudop waterhole, Etosha, Namibia.
context_page_description: The Republic of Namibia is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Before that it was called South West Africa. Its capital is Windhoek.
  Before World War I Namibia was a German colony. German is still widely spoken in the country, although English is the official language.
  Namibia has a population of 2.1 million people.
  The name of the country is from the Namib Desert. This is said to be the oldest desert in the world.
context_section_description: Tourism is a major contributor (14.5%) to Namibia's economy.  It creates tens of thousands of jobs (18.2% of all employment).  There are over a million tourists per year. The country is among the main tourist places in Africa.  It is known for ecotourism which features Namibia's extensive wildlife.
  There are many lodges and reserves for tourists. Sport Hunting is also a large, and growing part of the Namibian economy.  It was 14% of total tourism in the year 2000. Namibia has numerous species wanted by international sport hunters. In addition, extreme sports such as sandboarding and 4x4ing have become popular. Many cities have companies that provide tours. The most visited places include the Caprivi Strip, Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast Park, Sesriem, Etosha Pan and the coastal towns of Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
caption: An example of Namibian wildlife, the Plains Zebra, one focus of tourism
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