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A Short History of Namibia

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Before Namibia was even called by its name today, the country was known as the German South West Africa. Namibia was colonized by Germany in the late 1800s back when the exploration of Africa was at its peak in world history. What led to its discovery was the interest of foreigners to the rare ivory tusks that were hunted off from elephants. The country soon became a settlement for Germans who explored the land. In the early years, there had been conflict between two peoples, the Namas and the Hereros, followed by the Namas and the Schutztruppes, and not to mention also the disagreements between the Schutztruppes and the Hereros. The Schutztruppes are the German protective forces that were sent to relieve and resolve the disagreements between the Hereros people and the Namas people. These three groups have been in conflict with each other, but fortunately ended in a resolve to independence.

When Namibia was discovered to be a diamond country, there was great unrest. Germany then had to surrender the nation where it ended up in martial law till 1919. The country then was under the administration of the Union of South Africa which proved to be a start in the series of events that would lead to its independence. In the late 20th Century, the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) fought a war to liberate the county, but it was on March 21, 1990 when the United Nations enacted a resolution that was able to mandate elections and in effect became an independent state. The country underwent several phases in order to be the Namibia that is known today.