Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia, a country on the southwest coast of Africa. It sits high up in the middle of the country, in a valley surrounded by hills, roughly 1,700 metres above sea level — which is why it stays fairly cool and dry even though it is a hot country. It is by far Namibia's biggest city, and it is where the government, the airport, and most business sit. Namibia was ruled by Germany and then by South Africa before independence in 1990, and you can still see that history in Windhoek: German street names, German churches, and German spoken by some families, alongside Afrikaans, English, and the local languages. English is the official language of the country, so a visitor gets by with it. The name is also on a well-known beer, Windhoek Lager, brewed there and sold across southern Africa, and for many people outside Africa that is where they first meet the word.