Sudan

Sudan Background

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 of this period (1972-82). The wars are 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 led to 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 a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement.

Sudan Information

• Population: 39,148,162 (July 2004 est.)
• Nationality: noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese
• Location:: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
• Religions:: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
• Ethnic Groups:: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
• 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
• Area: total: 2,505,810 sq km water: 129,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km
• Coast Line: 853 km
• Climate: 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
• Maritime Claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
• Land Use: arable land: 6.83% permanent crops: 0.18% other: 92.99% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
• Natural Resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
• Highways: total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.)
• Railways: total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin
• Airports: 63 (2003 est.)