Namibia was primarily colonised by Germany, which established rule over most of the territory in 1884, naming it German South West Africa. This colonisation lasted until Germany's defeat in World War I, after which the League of Nations mandated South Africa to administer the territory.

Before German colonisation, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the Namibian coast in the late 15th century but did not colonise the area. The British took control of Walvis Bay in the late 18th century and maintained it as a separate enclave.

The German colonisation was marked by significant conflict, including the Herero and Namaqua genocide between 1904 and 1908, when German troops violently suppressed uprisings by indigenous peoples. After World War I until independence in 1990, South Africa administered the territory under a League of Nations and later United Nations mandate.

In summary:

• Portuguese explorers first arrived in the 1480s but did not colonise.
• The British controlled Walvis Bay from the late 1700s.
• Germany colonised Namibia from 1884 to 1915.
• South Africa administered Namibia from post-WWI until independence in 1990.

This history shapes much of Namibia's cultural and political landscape today.