Population - 2.03 million (population density 2.5 persons per km2) Ethnic groups - Black: 87.5% (Ovambo 50%, Kavango 9%, Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%), White: 6%, Mixed 6.5% Languages - Oshivambo, Africaans, English (official) Geography - A high central plateau runs down the middle of the country, effectively separating the Namib Desert to the west from the Kalahari to the east. Climate - Hot (summer temperatures at 30°- 40° throughout) and arid (only central plateau has reliable annual rainfall). In April we can expect it to be hot and clear, with the possibility of storms. Roads - 64,799 km of highways (only 7,841 km paved)

THE CYCLE OF LIFE IN NAMIBIA

Our expedition will begin in central Namibia, midway between the Namib and Kalahari deserts. Namibia is second only to Mongolia as the world’s most sparsely populated country. Given that most of the population is found in the Ovamboland region bordering Angola, rural Namibia can be a very vacant place indeed. This will make our lives somewhat more difficult as the expedition will rely heavily on local support for food and shelter. It also means that rural life in Namibia remains almost entirely cut off from the forces of development, with most households being totally dependent on natural resource uses for survival.

The country is so arid that even the highest rainfall areas are marginal for crop growing and drought is commonplace. With the best grazing owned by the white population, this leaves many rural families with no option but to take what they can from the land. Low rainfall also limits the population distribution according availability of drinking water – a lifestyle difficulty that we will certainly come to appreciate as we will have to carry all our water with us. But restricted access to agriculture and water are not the only reason for Namibians to rely so heavily on natural resources. Development has also been limited by a high degree of ethnic segregation, both historically and in the present day. For this reason, we will find that use of the official language (English) may not get us very far. We will have to rely very closely on the local team member for this leg of the trip.

ROUTE

• Our expedition will set out from Africat in north central Namibia in mid-April 2008. Taking plenty of time to acclimatize to the conditions and our saddles, we will progress gently at first past the Waterberg Plateau towards the Kaukauveld region that forms the edge of the Kalahari Desert.
• In the Kaukauveld – an expanse of parched and desolate semi-desert in Namibia’s east – we will have to struggle with roads of deep sand and little access to shade or water. But we will also find local people working alongside western researchers to try to shed light on the region’s population of Wild dogs.