| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Africa |
| Geographical Location |
15° 00' North Latitude
30° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
2,505,810 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November) |
| Natural Resources |
Petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of the Sudan |
| Capital City |
Khartoum |
| Government Type |
Authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989; government is run by an alliance of the military and the National Congress Party (NCP),
formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF), which espouses an Islamist platform |
| Administrative Divisions |
26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum),
Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb
al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Gharb Kurdufan (Western Kordofan), Janub Darfur
(Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal),
Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab) |
| Independence Day |
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
40,187,486 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Sudanese |
| Ethnic Groups |
Black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% |
| Religion |
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum) |
| Languages |
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English |
| Population Growth Rate |
2.6% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Sudanese dinar (SDD) |
| Industries |
Oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
| Labor Force |
11 million (1996 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
| Export Commodities |
Oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar |
| Export Partners |
China 64.3%, Japan 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 3.7% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat |
| Import Partners |
Saudi Arabia 11.7%, China 10.7%, UAE 6.2%, Egypt 5.2%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.6%, Australia 4.1%, UK 4% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
5,995 km |
| Highways |
11,900 km |
| Pipelines |
Gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004) |
| Airports |
75 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+249 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.sd |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war
for all but 10 years since then. The war is rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since 1983, the war
and war- and famine-related effects have resulted in more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and
an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels and entered the war as part of an
anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement. |
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