Namibia is a country that rarely makes the international headlines. It is also one of the most sparsely-populated places on earth.
Named after the vast Namib desert the country is a place that has been controlled by two different foreign powers in the last century.
Until World War I it was a German colony, a period marked by repression and the genocide of thousands of tribesmen who were driven into the desert where they starved. Then neighbouring South Africa took control and imposed its apartheid system.
Namibia is now a post-colonial, post-conflict nation facing many of the same problems as its neighbours.
So far it has maintained the domestic peace and many things are going well. On the global corruption index, Namibia ranks lower than many other countries in Africa. Tourism is growing, but balancing the environmental impact is a challenge.
But in a country that is extremely rich in mineral resources there is great inequality. Many of the big landowners are white, and the black population is increasingly angry about this situation. So the president says the white population must give up land or possibly face a revolution.
In the 22 years since independence Namibia has been run by just one party, SWAPO, the same organisation that led the guerrilla war for independence.
Its leader, Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, who is also the Namibian president, discussed with Talk to Al Jazeera how the country has managed to remain so peaceful, and how he intends to deal with the underlying anger and growing discontent in his country.
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19 окт 2012
