Geography

Sudan covers an area of 966,757 square miles (2,503,890 square kilometers) in northeastern Africa. It is bordered on the south by Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; on the west by the Central African Republic and Chad; on the northwest by Libya; and on the east by Ethiopia. The country's only seacoast stretches along the Red Sea on the east.

Sudan is mostly a land of flat plains. The north is part of the Sahara. The western plain is composed of sand dunes. The south and central parts of Sudan are a clay plain with enormous swamps and some mountains. The country's highest peak, Mount Kinyeti, rises to 10,456 feet (3,187 meters) and is located in the south.

The main physical feature of the Sudan is the Nile River. It flows south to north through the middle of the country. Its two major branches, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, join at Khartoum.

Plants and animals

The desert region covering the northern third of Sudan has little vegetation. As rainfall increases to the south, shrubs and savanna (grassland) are found. Tropical rain forests exist in the far south.

Sudan's wildlife includes lions, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, elephants, antelope, giraffes, zebras, chimpanzees, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses. These animals are common in the southern part of the country. Few live in the central region, where food and water can be scarce.

People and culture

Sudan is the Arab word for “land of the blacks,” but only the southern part of the country is heavily populated by black Africans. About half of the people are Muslim Arabs who live in the north and central areas. Most black Africans living in the south are Christians or follow traditional African religions. Some non-Arab groups in the north have converted to Islam. Arabic is the official language, but more than 100 other languages are also spoken.

At the turn of the 21st century about two thirds of Sudan's people lived in rural areas. Their way of life is based primarily on agriculture. The largest urban center is the Khartoum metropolitan area. It includes the capital city and its sister towns, Khartoum North and Omdurman.

Economy

Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its economy is largely based on agriculture, which employs about two thirds of the people. Most of the farmers produce only enough to feed themselves and their families. The land between the two branches of the Nile is the country's main growing region. A large irrigation project called the Gezira Scheme provides water for this area. The main food crops are sorghum and millet. Cotton is the main export crop. Sheep, goats, cattle, and camels are raised.

Manufacturing is not well developed in Sudan. The processing of foods, beverages, and tobacco is the most important industry. Other major activities include cotton ginning, sugar refining, and leather tanning.

History

People have lived in the land that is now Sudan for tens of thousands of years. In ancient times the northern part of Sudan was known as Nubia. Beginning in the 4th millennium BC Nubia occasionally came under the rule of ancient Egypt. From the 11th century BC to the 4th century AD Nubia was part of the kingdom of Kush (or Cush), which had close cultural ties to Egypt.

In the 6th century AD Christian missionaries converted the three main kingdoms that ruled Sudan. These black Christian kingdoms reached their height in the 9th and 10th centuries. They collapsed between the 13th and the 15th centuries when Arabs from Egypt moved into northern Sudan. From about 1500 on the northern half of Sudan would be home to racially mixed peoples who were for the most part Muslim and Arab.

After many attempts, Egypt finally conquered all of Sudan in 1874. The Egyptians appointed British governors to rule the territory. Angered by British rule, Sudan's Muslims revolted and took control of the region in 1885. The leader of the revolt, Muhammad Ahmad, and his followers led Sudan until 1898. In that year British forces conquered the territory.

For more than 50 years Britain ruled Sudan in partnership with Egypt. During this period the Sudanese people called for independence. In the 1950s Britain and Egypt agreed to give Sudan its independence. Sudan officially became independent in 1956.

After independence Sudan experienced decades of political instability. For most of this period the country had military governments led by Muslims of the north. The non-Muslim population of the south rebelled against these governments. In the 1980s and 1990s the civil war led to famines and forced millions of people to leave the country. A new constitution introduced in 1998 made political parties legal for the first time in a decade, but the military government remained in power. Population (2001 estimate), 36,080,000.