Namibian Nativity: Angelina Jolie's Baby Outpost is Africa's Namibia

Recently, actress and pop-philanthropy icon Angelina Jolie lighted on the shores of southwestern Africa with darling Brad Pitt in tow. Expecting their first biological child, the Brangelina acting duo decided that Namibia, a place Jolie has called "the cradle of human kind" would make the ideal childbirth setting. Geographically averse Americans probably couldn't point to Namibia on a map, but that's poised to change: the almost unprecedented media attention Namibia is receiving due to the Pitt-Jolie baby affair is bound to jumpstart its fledgling tourist industry. Whether or not you're a fan of Angelina Jolie, you have to give her some credit for "discovering" this exotic yet strangely familiar location.

Background on Namibia

Various European explorers flirted with this part of the African coast during the 1400s and 1500s, never going too far inland because of the foreboding desert that immediately met them. But by the 1800s, most of modern-day Namibia was under German control, though the British possessed part of the territory as well (notably Walvis Bay). After WWI, "South West Africa" fell under South African influence until, after much pressure from the UN, Namibia was finally granted independence in 1990. The official language is English, though a mix of African languages, Afrikaans, and German regularly supercedes it.

The Namib desert and its flame-coloured dunes butt up against the Atlantic coast, while the Kalahari desert covers most of eastern Namibia. Savanna plains and craggy mountains complement the arid desolation. These contrasts anchor the country's potent, largely unspoiled beauty.