Namibia is around half the size of Alaska and has a population of 1.8 million. The country achieved independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, having previously been known as South West Africa and Deutsch-Südwestafrika.
A country with vast areas of desert, many Namibians rely on agriculture for their livelihood although the mining of minerals - valuable diamonds are often found - is essential to the nation’s economy.
Although rugby union has been played in the country since 1916 when it was introduced by migrants from South Africa, the Namibia Rugby Union was only formed in March 1990, the same month that it joined the International Rugby Board.
Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa with Namibian born Springboks including Jan Ellis and, more recently, Percy Montgomery.
Independence came too late for Namibia to qualify for Rugby World Cup 1991 but the Welwitschias, as the national team are known, did put themselves on the rugby map with 2-0 series wins over Ireland and Italy in 1991.
The sport is popular among school children, but the rugby population in Namibia is still relatively small with only 19 clubs and around 1,100 registered senior players.