Sam Nujoma
President

(pronounced " sam nu-YO-ma")

"All our actions and policies should be based on our motto of 'One Namibia, One Nation'…A united people will always emerge victorious above the problems of poverty, ignorance, hunger, disease, homelessness, unemployment and tribalism."

Namibia, formerly known as South-West Africa, became independent on 21 March 1990. Long considered Africa's lost colony, it was colonized by Germany for 36 years before South Africa took control during World War I (1913–18). Seven decades of South African rule saw the imposition of apartheid and patterns of uneven economic development between black and white segments of the populace. Whites, who make up about 6% of the population as of 2002, have one of the highest standards of living in the world, while the majority of blacks live in dire poverty.

Covering an area of 825,418 sq km (317,873 sq mi) but with an estimated population of 1.8 million...