President: Francois Hollande Prime minister: Jean-Marc Ayrault
President: Hifikepunye Pohamba
Population
65,630,692
2,165,828
Life Expectancy
81.460 years
52.170 years
Capital City
Paris
Windhoek
Largest city
Paris (population: 2,138,550)
Windhoek (population: 268,132)
Human Development Index
0.955
0.634
GDP per capita
$35,600 US
$7,500 US
Literacy Rate
99%
85%
Corruption Perception Index
6.9
4.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.6%
26.9%
Wealthiest Citizens
Bernard Arnault ($16.5bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
9.300%
51.200%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
republic
republic
Independence date
486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire)
21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Religions
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan
Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%
Languages
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)
Exports
machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6799 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.18 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
3.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
40
0
Location
Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa
