[nuh-mib-ee-uh] 
| a republic in SW Africa: a former German protectorate; a mandate of South Africa 1920–66; gained independence 1990. 1,727,183; 318,261 sq. mi. (824,296 sq. km). Capital: Windhoek. |
Na·mib·i·a (nə-mĭb'ē-ə)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of southwest Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. A German protectorate after 1884, it was occupied in 1915 by South Africa, which governed it under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1946 but refused to accept the United Nations trusteeship that replaced the mandate. Namibia finally achieved full independence in 1990. Windhoek is the capital. Population: 2,060,000. Na·mib'i·an adj. & n. |
Country in southwestern Africa, bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; formerly called South West Africa.
Note: In 1920, South Africa began administering South West Africa under authority of the League of Nations, and in 1971, it rejected the demands of the General Assembly of the United Nations that it withdraw. A nationalist group, the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), waged guerrilla warfare in an attempt to force South Africa out of Namibia. A U.S.-mediated settlement ended the civil war in 1988. In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation.
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