Military regimes favoring
Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since
independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged
civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These
conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social
domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first
civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and
famine-related effects resulted in more than four million people
displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than two million
deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in
2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the
southern rebels autonomy for six years. After which, a referendum for
independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict, which broke
out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two
million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The UN
took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African
Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2009, peacekeeping troops were
struggling to stabilize the situation, which has become increasingly
regional in scope and has brought instability to eastern Chad. Sudan
also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries
primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport
infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically
obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected
populations.
Geography ::Sudan
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,505,813 sq km
0
land:
2.376 million sq km
water:
129,813 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 7,687 km
border countries:
Central
African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the
Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya
232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km
Coastline:
853 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
18 nm
continental shelf:
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Current Weather
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain:
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point:
Kinyeti 3,187 m
Natural resources:
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
inadequate supplies of
potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting;
soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
note:highly
pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it
poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US
citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Sudanese
Ethnic groups:
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%
Languages:
Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages
note:program of "Arabization" in process
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
61.1%
male:
71.8%
female:
50.5% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
6% of GDP (1991)
country comparison to the world: 43
Government ::Sudan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form:
Sudan
local long form:
Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
local short form:
As-Sudan
former:
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Government type:
Government of National
Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the
2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power
by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement
stipulated national elections in 2009, but these were subsequently
rescheduled for April 2010
Capital:
name: Khartoum
geographic coordinates:
15 36 N, 32 32 E
time difference:
UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
25 states (wilayat,
singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red
Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazira (Gezira), Al Khartoum (Khartoum),
Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahda (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An
Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shimaliyya (Northern), Bahr al Jabal
(Central Equatoria), Gharb al Istiwa'iyya (Western Equatoria), Gharb
Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr el Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur),
Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan),
Junqoley (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (River Nile), Shimal
Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr el Ghazal), Shimal Darfur (Northern
Darfur), Shimal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyya
(Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)
Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005
note:under
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Interim National Constitution
was ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan was signed
December 2005
Legal system:
based on English common
law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct
Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern
states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states
regardless of their religion; however, the CPA establishes some
protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some separate religious courts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern
legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war;
Islamic law will not apply to the southern states
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President
Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:
President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)
cabinet:
Council
of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress
Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates
al-BASHIR's cabinet
elections:
election on 11-15 April 2010; next to be held in 2015
election results:
Umar
Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar
Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 68.2%, Yasir ARMAN 21.7%, Abdullah Deng NHIAL
3.9%, others 6.2%
note:al-BASHIR
assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for
National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief
of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense
until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he
was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996
Legislative branch:
bicameral National
Legislature consists of a Council of States (50 seats; members
indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve six-year terms) and a
National Assembly (450 seats; 60% from geographic constituencies, 25%
from a women's list, and 15% from party lists; members to serve six-year
terms)
elections:
last held on 11-15 April 2010 (next to be held in 2016)
election results:
Not available; prior to the 11-15 April 2010 election, members appointmented under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court of
nine justices; National Supreme Court; National Courts of Appeal; other
national courts; National Judicial Service Commission will undertake
overall management of the National Judiciary
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Unionist Party
or DUP [Hatim al-SIR]; National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan
al-BASHIR]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Sudan
People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva KIIR]; elements of the
National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic
Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq
al-Mahdi]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Darfur
rebel groups including the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM [Khalil
IBRAHIM] and the Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM [various factional
leaders]
chancery:
2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 338-8565
FAX:
[1] (202) 667-2406
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert E. WHITEHEAD
embassy:
Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum
mailing address:
P.O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829
telephone:
[249] (183) 774700 through 704
FAX:
[249] (183) 774137
Flag description:
three equal horizontal
bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle
based on the hoist side; colors and design based on the Arab Revolt flag
of World War I, but the meanings of the colors are expressed as
follows: red signifies the struggle for freedom, white is the color of
peace, light, and love, black represents Sudan itself (in Arabic 'Sudan'
means black), green is the color of Islam, agriculture, and prosperity
Economy ::Sudan
Economy - overview:
Until the second half of 2008,
Sudan's economy boomed on the back of increases in oil production, high
oil prices, and large inflows of foreign direct investment. GDP growth
registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and 2007. From 1997 to date,
Sudan has been working with the IMF to implement macroeconomic reforms
including a managed float of the exchange rate. Sudan began exporting
crude oil in the last quarter of 1999. Agricultural production remains
important because it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a
third of GDP. The Darfur conflict, the aftermath of two decades of civil
war in the south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a
reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure
much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for
years despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January 2007,
the government introduced a new currency, the Sudanese Pound, at an
initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$92.81 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$89.41 billion (2008 est.)
$83.87 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$54.93 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
6.6% (2008 est.)
10.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,300 (2009 est.)
81
$2,200 (2008 est.)
$2,100 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.1%
industry:
29.4%
services:
38.5% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
11.92 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry:
7%
services:
13% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
18.7% (2002 est.)
63
Population below poverty line:
40% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners:
China 20.3%, Saudi Arabia 8.5%, UAE 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, India 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$879 million (31 December 2009 est.)
31
$1.399 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$36.27 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$33.72 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.34 (2009), 2.1 (2008), 2.06 (2007), 2.172 (2006), 2.4361 (2005)
note:in January 2007 Sudan redenominated its currency by transforming 100 units of Sudanese dinar into one unit of Sudanese pound
Communications ::Sudan
Telephones - main lines in use:
356,100 (2008)
10
Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.186 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 55
Telephone system:
general assessment: well-equipped
system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular
communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially with wide
coverage of most major cities
domestic:
consists
of microwave radio relay, cable, fiber optic, radiotelephone
communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system
with 14 earth stations
international:
country
code - 249; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1997)
Internet country code:
.sd
Internet hosts:
48 (2009)
07
Internet users:
4.2 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 48
Transportation ::Sudan
Airports:
121 (2009)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m:
9
1,524 to 2,437 m:
5
under 914 m:
2 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 102
1,524 to 2,437 m:
18
914 to 1,523 m:
56
under 914 m:
28 (2009)
Heliports:
4 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 5,978 km
country comparison to the world: 30
narrow gauge:
4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2008)
Roadways:
total: 11,900 km
30
paved:
4,320 km
unpaved:
7,580 km (2000)
Waterways:
4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2008)
5
Merchant marine:
total: 3
40
by type:
cargo 2, carrier 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Port Sudan
Military ::Sudan
Military branches:
Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land
Forces, Navy (includes Marines), Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya
as-Sudaniya), Popular Defense Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA): Popular Army, Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory and voluntary military service; 12-24 month service obligation (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,264,087
females age 16-49:
9,894,457 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,094,209
females age 16-49:
6,213,984 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 506,742
female:
487,434 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
Transnational Issues ::Sudan
Disputes - international:
the effects of Sudan's almost
constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century
have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese
refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their
homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan,
in turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller
numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as
refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to
repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of
supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous
boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting
in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's
sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has
administered since colonial times; Sudan claims but Egypt de facto
administers security and economic development of Halaib region north of
the 22nd parallel boundary; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese
residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral
populations along the border with the Central African Republic
IDPs:
5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Sudan
is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked internally
for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a
transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad
for domestic servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within
the country as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for domestic
servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army,
continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and Ugandan children in
the southern part of the country for use as cooks, porters, and
combatants; some of these children are also trafficked across borders
into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo; militia groups in
Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for
short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence; during
the two decades-long north-south civil war, thousands of Dinka women and
children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the
Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes; while there have been no known new
abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years,
inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan
tier rating:
Tier
3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do
so; combating human trafficking through law enforcement or prevention
measures was not a priority for the government in 2007 (2008)
