Over half of the population of Namibia belong to the Ovambo tribe, who occupy the northern part of the country.
Other ethnic groups include the Kavango, Herero, Himba, Damara, Nama, Caprivian, San (or Bushman), Baster and Tswana. The Tswanas are the smallest ethnic group, with only 0.5% of the population.
The minority white population are mostly of Afrikaan, German, British or Portuguese descent, and make up nearly 7% of the total population.
Over 80% of the population are Christian, many of whom are Lutheran. The remaining 20% follow indigenous religions.
Languages
English is the official language of Namibia, although it is only the first language of a small percentage of the population, about 7%.
Afrikaans is the most widely spoken first language for most Namibians, and around 30% of the population also speak German.
Different tribes throughout the country speak either a Bantu dialect (including Owambo, Caprivian and Herero) or a Khoisan dialect (including Nama, Damara and San). The Khoisan dialects are characterised by a 'clicking' sound.
A few useful phrases to know in Afrikaans could be:
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Good morning! - Goeie more!
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How's it going? - Hoe gaan dit?
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Great/Wonderful - Lekker
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Please - Asseblief
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Thanks - Dankie
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Goodbye - Totsien
