The west coast is often referred to as the Skeleton Coast and is home to some fascinating grounded shipwrecks. The central plateau slopes rise from the west coast, gently veering downward into the east of Namibia. The north of the country is the most verdant area, especially the bordering region of Botswana where Namibia meets part of the Okavango river basin. Namibia's rivers tend to flow into the Central Highlands. The largest is perhaps the Fish River in the South, other rivers are the Cubango and the Orange. Natural features include the Erongo, Auas and Huns mountains as well as the Namib Naukluft National Park, where a variety of exciting fauna can be found. The highest peak is Konigstein at 2,606m. The lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean. There are very few natural water sources within Namibia and so Desertification is a major problem along with wildlife poaching. Namibia has tried to make a stand and was indeed the first country in the world to maintain a policy for the protection of the environment. Some 14% of Namibia is protected under this agreement. Namibia is a land of many natural resources yet to be fully exploited. These include diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium and natural gas.

Windhoek, the capital, is very much the economic and the transport hub of Namibia and many administrative offices are based there. Afrikaans is the most popular language although most people speak English and some speak German. Namibia gained full independence in 1994. The national unit of currency is the Namibian dollar although South African Rands are also readily accepted.

Industry is big business in this poor country, as it tries hard to achieve economic success. Just 47% of the nation's workforce are employed in agriculture, a low figure by African standards. The produce of Namibia includes millet, sorghum, peanuts, livestock and fish. The industrial chunk of Namibia's economy is represented by meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products and the mining of diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium and copper.

The climate varies from region to region. In the central desert area of the country its hot and dry year round with temperatures soaring up to 40°C. The areas of highland plateau experience cooler temperate weather. There are two rainy seasons in Namibia. The first lasts from January to April, with the second bringing smaller precipitations between October and December.