( CNN ) -- For a country of just 2.1 million people in an area more than twice the size of Germany , Namibia has seen more than its share of conflict over the past 120 years . Dragged into the 20th century as a German imperial protectorate , German South-West Africa , as it was known then , was the scene of violent insurrections by indigenous people and brutal crackdowns by colonial administrators . In 2004 , Germany offered its first formal apology for the massacre of an estimated 65,000 members of the Herero tribe who sustained a rebellion between 1904 and 1907 before they were forced into the desert where many perished . Descendants of the few survivors are still seeking $ 4 billion compensation from the German government for what they claim was an orchestrated campaign of extermination that pre-figured Germany 's genocidal policies of the Second World War . Namibia 's troubled history continued deep into the 20th century : in 1920 the League of Nations mandated the country to South Africa , which imposed its apartheid laws on the region after 1948 . In 1966 , the Marxist South-West Africa People 's Organization ( Swapo ) launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia . The simmering guerilla campaign continued for 22 years , when South Africa agreed to end administration of the region under a U.N. peace plan . Swapo has governed since Namibia won independence in 1990 in a functioning democracy that saw Hifikepunye Pohamba take his second five-year term as president following elections in 2009 . Test your knowledge of Namibia . Even with independence , Namibia 's problems continued . In the 1990s , a secessionist movement in the Caprivi Strip , in eastern Namibia , caused thousands to flee to Botswana . The government has since calmed the restive region , declaring it safe for tourism . Today Namibia struggles with huge unemployment ( around 50 % of the population , according to the CIA World Factbook ) . HIV/AIDs affects 15 % of the population , according to data compiled by the World Health Organization and more than half the population lives below the international poverty line of $ 1.25 a day , according to data from the UN . With one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world , the result , in large part , of a rural , cashless subsistence economy , land reform is one of Namibia 's most hotly contested issues . There are believed to be 4,000 commercial farms - mostly white-owned - that occupy up to half of Namibia 's arable land . The government 's aim is to resettle landless Namibians on this land on a `` willing buyer , willing seller '' arrangement . However , expropriations have taken place because too few farmers have been willing to sell . In a bid to speed up the land reform process , the government has moved to loosen up restrictive terms that heavily favored the government in negotiations with farmers over land sales . Just 1,000 of these commercial farms have been purchased by the government as part of its land reform program , and white farmers must offer the government first refusal on any sale of land . Continuing wrangling has acted as a serious disincentive to further investment in the country 's valuable arable land . Currently , mining -- particularly diamonds , copper , gold , zinc , lead , uranium -- constitutes more than 12 % of Namibia 's GDP , according to government figures . Its other largest sectors are tourism , agriculture at more than 9 % and manufacturing at more than 15 % . The latter , however , struggles as it competes with a highly subsidized manufacturing sector in neighboring South Africa . Ultimately , however , Namibia 's most precious resource is likely to be water . Sandwiched between two of the world 's most famous deserts - the Namib and the Kalahari - Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa , with less than 370mm of rainfall on average each year . Send in your photos of Namibia . However , this year the Namibian department of water affairs announced the discovery of a significant body of underground water - an aquifer dubbed Ohangwena II - that scientists say could supply the north of the country with enough water for centuries . Situated on the border with Angola , Namibia 's side of the 10,000-year-old aquifer covers an area about 70km by 40km ( 43 miles by 25 miles ) . Project manager Martin Quinger , from the German Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources ( BGR ) , told the Namibia Sun that it was a substantial body of water and could supply 40 % of the nation 's population for as long as 400 years . `` Old water can be , unlike old beer , very fresh and clean , as it was infiltrated before environmental pollution was an issue , '' Quinger told the newspaper . CNN 's Eye On series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile . However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports . Read the policy .
South Africa is over twice the size of South Africa and the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa . Colonized by Germany and later ruled by apartheid-era Germany . Independence came in 22 years after 22 years of war . Stark beauty of landscape and deserts matched by challenges to improve economy and lives of Namibians .