Sudan flag
Basic facts of SudanOfficial name: Republic of the Sudan
Capital: Khartoum
Area: 2,505,800 sq km, 967,490 sq mi
Population: 40,218,455 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate 2.13 percent
Population density:17 persons per sq km, 44 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 41 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 59 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Khartoum, Omdurman, Port Sudan, Kassalā, Nyala
Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Lotuko, English
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (in the north) 70 percent
Ethnoreligionist or Indigenous beliefs 12 percent
Christian (mostly in the south and Khartoum) 15 percent Other
Life expectancy:
Total 50.3 years (2008 estimate)
Female 51.2 years (2008 estimate)
Male 49.4 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 63.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 53.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 73.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Total number of military personnel 104,800 (2004
Introduction:
Sudan, republic in northeastern Africa, the largest country of the African continent. The country’s north and south stand in stark contrast to one another: The dry, desert north is populated largely by Arab Muslims, while the wet, swampy south is populated by black African Christians and animists. The site of several powerful ancient states, Sudan was controlled by Egypt and Britain until the 20th century. An estimated 1.5 million Sudanese people died in a long and brutal civil war between the north and south, lasting from 1983 to 2004. Another conflict that erupted in the western region of Darfur in 2003 has claimed more than 200,000 lives and left more than 2 million people displaced from their homes. The conflict in Darfur continued in 2007 despite international mediation efforts.
Sudan is bounded on the north by Egypt; on the east by the Red Sea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia; on the south by Kenya, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire); and on the west by the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya. Sudan has a total area of 2,505,800 sq km (967,490 sq mi). Khartoum is the capital and largest city.
Republican Palace in Khartoum
The Republican Palace, home of the president of Sudan, stands in the capital of Khartoum. The city was founded in 1821 as an Egyptian military post. Beginning in 1899 Khartoum was developed as the capital of the Anglo-Egyptian administration of Sudan, and in 1956 it became the capital of the newly independent country.
The Nile at Khartoum
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is situated where the Blue Nile and White Nile merge into a single river. The Nile River and its two tributaries are important transportation routes, although less so now than in the past because of the construction of good roads. Traditional flat-bottomed Nile steamers, like the one pictured here, still carry passengers and freight along the rivers.
Village on the Nile, Sudan
The Nile River is the most dominant physical feature in Sudan. Because water is a valuable resource in the east African country’s arid regions, the Nile and its tributaries are valued for providing much of the irrigation that sustains agricultural development. Small villages, such as this Shilluk settlement, use water from the river for subsistence farming.
Refugees in Darfur, Sudan
Civil war erupted in Darfur, a region in western Sudan, in 2003. Since then more than 2 million people have fled their homes to seek shelter in refugee camps like this one at Zamzam in northern Darfur. The war has claimed more than 200,000 lives.