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Namibia: map, flag, capital and key facts

Namibia is a country in Africa, in Southern Africa, with about 3.09 million people (2025) and an area of 824,290 square kilometres. Its capital is Windhoek, and it shares land borders with 5 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Namibia
Flag of Namibia
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Namibia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Namibia

CapitalWindhoek
ContinentAfrica
RegionSouthern Africa
Population3,092,816 2025, World Bank. 134th of 195.
Area824,290 km² (318,260 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 33rd largest of 195.
Population density3.8 people per km²
Land neighbours5: Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Official nameRepublic of Namibia
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates22.57° S, 17.08° E Windhoek, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Namibia borders 5 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

AngolaLuandaBotswanaGaboroneSouth AfricaPretoria, Cape Town and BloemfonteinZambiaLusakaZimbabweHarare

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Namibia's 5, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 5

A desert coast and an empty interior

Namibia occupies southwestern Africa where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic in a 1,500-kilometer wall of fog and sand. Angola lies to the north, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the south, and Zambia touches the tip of the Caprivi Strip, a narrow panhandle running northeast. Between the coastal Namib and the interior Kalahari runs a central highland plateau holding most of the population and the capital, Windhoek. Namibia is among the least densely populated countries: 2.5 million people across 824,000 square kilometers.

More on Caprivi Strip

A narrow corridor of land stretching roughly 450 kilometers between Angola, Botswana, and Zambia. It was drawn by Germany in 1890 to secure access to the Zambezi River and remains geographically and culturally distinct from the rest of Namibia, with wetter conditions and different ethnic groups.

4 more lenses on Namibia in the app

  • STORY Africa's last colony and the genocide before it
  • NOW Uranium, diamonds, and now oil
  • STORY Community conservancies that put wildlife in local hands
  • THREAD Namibia between old colonial ties and new resource suitors

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Namibia with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Namibia?
The capital of Namibia is Windhoek. Windhoek lies at about 22.6 degrees south and 17.1 degrees east. Namibia is in Africa, in the region often called Southern Africa. It is home to about 3.09 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Namibia?
About 3.09 million people live in Namibia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 134th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 824,290 square kilometres, that is about 3.8 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Namibia?
Namibia shares land borders with 5 countries: Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The map on this page outlines each of them around Namibia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Namibia?
Namibia covers 824,290 square kilometres, or about 318,260 square miles. That makes it the 33rd largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 3.09 million gives a density of 3.8 people per square kilometre.

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