three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Coat of Arms

• tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

• 15 00 N, 30 00 E

• 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

• Northern Africa , bordering the Red Sea , between Egypt and Eritrea

• petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower

• total: 2,505,810 sq km
  land: 2.376 million sq km
  water: 129,810 sq km
• (Compare to other countries)

• total: 2,505,810 sq km
  land: 2.376 million sq km
  water: 129,810 sq km

• Coming from the road!

• Coming from the road!

National parks & reserves

• Royal Natal National Park
  Dinder National Park
  Radom National Park
  Southern National Park

Three Kushite and Meroetic kingdoms called northern Sudan their home in ancient times, this region was also known as the Nubian Kingdom and these civilizations flourished mainly along the Nile River from the first to the sixth cataracts. These kingdoms were influenced by, and in turn influenced Pharaonic Egypt. In fact, the borders of the ancient Egyptian and Sudanese kingdoms fluxated greatly and what is now the upper third of present day Northern Sudan was during ancient times indistinguishable from Upper Egypt.

Although Christianity had been introduced into Sudan in the third or fourth centuries, around 640 AD, Islam came to Sudan. A merchant class of Arabs established themselves as economically dominant in feudal Sudan. Important kingdoms in the next 1200 years include Makuria and the Kingdom of Sennar.

In 1820, Sudan came under Egyptian rule when Mehemet Ali, the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt sent armies under his son Ismail Pasha and Mahommed Bey to conquer eastern Sudan. Religious leader Muhammad ibn Abdalla, the self-proclaimed Mahdi (Messiah), attempted to unify the tribes of western and central Sudan in the 1880s. He led a nationalist revolt against Egyptian rule culminating in the fall of Khartoum in 1885, in which the British General Gordon was killed, the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's poem Fuzzy Wuzzy, a tribe in the region of Port Sudan. The Mahdist state survived until being overwhelmed by an Anglo-Egyptian force under Lord Kitchener in 1898. Great Britain ran Sudan as two essentially separate colonies, the south and the north, until 1956.

The year before independence in 1956, Southern Sudanese embarked upon a civil war. During the British rule, laws had been put in place making it illegal for anyone living above the 10th parallel to go further south and anyone above the 8th parallel further north. The British law set the country up for this envitable conflict with this law. The law was enacted to prevent the spread of malaria and other tropic diseases that had ravaged British troops. Furthermore, while the British built roads, schools and set up a government in the predominately Arab north, the British left the South to Missionaries to "tame the savages" creating what historians generally agree was a grave injustice in the country. This sparked 17 years of civil war from 1955 to 1972. In 1972, the Addis Ababa Agreement led to a cessation of the north-south civil war and a degree of self-rule. This led to a ten-year hiatus in the civil war.

In September 1983, then President, Gaafar Nimeiry, created a Federated Sudan which included 3 federal states in Southern Sudan. It was the introduction of Sharia law and the dissolution of the 3 federal states in the South that led to the reinvigoration of the civil war.

After shortages of fuel and bread, a growing insurgency in the south, drought and famine, in 1984-5 another military coup led by Gen. Suwar al-Dahab restored a civilian government. However the civil war intensified in lethality and the economy continued to deteriorate. In 1989 General Omar el-Bashir became president and chief of state, prime minister and chief of the armed forces.

In 1991, Osama Bin Laden moved to Sudan. His stated objective was to use his money, power and expertise in the construction field to help Sudan. Bin Laden was responsible for building the road from Khartoum northward to the town of Shendi. He was attracted to Sudan because it claimed to be a purely Islamic state. He is purported to have lost a sizable amount of money on business ventures in Sudan; some estimates place his losses in excess of $100 million USD [1]. In place of payment on his road venture, the Government of Sudan, strapped for cash, paid him with a defunct tanning factory, which was confiscated when in 1996 he was forcebly expelled at the request of the United States and relocated to Afghanistan.

The ongoing civil war has displaced more than 4 million southerners. Some fled into southern cities, such as Juba; others trekked as far north as Khartoum and even into Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and other neighboring countries. These people were unable to grow food or earn money to feed themselves, and malnutrition and starvation became widespread. The lack of investment in the south resulted as well in what international humanitarian organizations call a "lost generation" who lack educational opportunities, access to basic health care services, and little prospects for productive employment in the small and weak economies of the south or the north.

In early 2003 a new rebellion began in the western province of Darfur, during which time the government committed terrible atrocities. In February 2004, the government declared victory over the rebellion but the rebels reported that they remained in control of rural areas and others reports indicated that widespread fighting was continuing.

Peace talks between the southern rebels and the government made substantial progress in 2003 and early 2004, although skirmishes in parts of the south were reportedly continuing. The peace was consolidated with the official signing by both sides of the Naivasha treaty on 9 January 2005, pursuant to which the south will be granted autonomy for six years, to be followed by a referendum on independence.It created a position for a co-vice president position and allowed the north and south to split oil 50/50, but also left both the North's and South's armies in place. John Garang, the south's elected co-vice president died three weeks after being sworn in. It is hoped that the treaty will finally mark the end of a decades-long war that has claimed millions of lives. Now politically, there is a "verbal" peace between the north and the south; however, intertribal wars still exists in the western region of Darfur. From Wikipedia.

Egypt conquered and unified the northern portion of the country.

Historically, the pestilential swamps of the Suud discouraged expansion into the deeper south of the country. Although Egypt claimed all of present Sudan during most of the 19th century, it was unable to establish effective control over southern Sudan, which remained an area of fragmented tribes, subject to frequent attacks by slave raiders.

A religious leader named Muhammad ibn Abdalla proclaimed himself the Mahdi, or the "expected one," and began a religious crusade to unify the tribes in western and central Sudan. His followers took on the name "Ansars" (the followers) which they continue to use today and are associated with the single largest political grouping, the Umma Party, led by a descendant of the Mahdi, Sadiq al Mahdi.

Taking advantage of dissatisfaction resulting from Ottoman-Egyptian exploitation and maladministration, the Mahdi begins a nationalist revolt.

Fall of Khartoum. Mahdi takes charge.

The Mahdi died shortly thereafter.

Mahdi state survived until overwhelmed by an invading Anglo-Egyptian force under Lord Kitchener.

While nominally administered jointly by Egypt and Britain, Britain formulated policies and supplied most of the top administrators.

Sudan achieved independence on January 1 under a provisional constitution.

The Arab-led Khartoum government reneged on promises to southerners to create a federal system, which led to a mutiny by southern army officers that launched 17 years of civil war (1955-72).

The National Unionist Party (NUP), under Prime Minister Ismail al-Azhari, dominated the first cabinet, which was soon replaced by a coalition of conservative political forces.

Sudan had a series of governments that proved unable either to agree on a permanent constitution or to cope with problems of factionalism, economic stagnation, and ethnic dissidence. The succession of post-independence governments were dominated by Arab Muslims who viewed Sudan as a Muslim Arab state.

Indeed, the Umma/NUP proposed 1968 constitution was arguably Sudan's first Islamic-oriented constitution.

Dissatisfaction culminated in a second military coup on May 25, 1969. The coup leader, Col. Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiri, became prime minister, and the new regime abolished parliament and outlawed all political parties.

In September, as part of an Islamicization campaign, President Nimeiri announced his decision to incorporate traditional Islamic punishments drawn from Shari'a (Islamic Law) into the penal code. This was controversial even among Muslim groups.

Ansar leader Sadiq al-Mahdi was placed under house arrest after publicly questioning Nimeiri's credentials to Islamicize Sudan's society.

On April 26, President Nimeiri declared a state of emergency, in part to ensure that Shari'a was applied more broadly. Most constitutionally guaranteed rights were suspended. In the north, emergency courts, later known as "decisive justice courts," were established, with summary jurisdiction over criminal cases. Amputations for theft and public lashings for alcohol possession were common during the state of emergency. Southerners and other non-Muslims living in the north were also subjected to these punishments. These events, and other longstanding grievances, led to a resumption of the civil war that continued for 20 more years until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in late 2004.

In September, President Nimeiri announced the end of the state of emergency and dismantled the emergency courts, but soon promulgated a new judiciary act, which continued many of the practices of the emergency courts. Despite Nimeiri's public assurances that the rights of non-Muslims would be respected, southerners and other non-Muslims remained deeply suspicious.

Early in the year saw serious shortages of fuel and bread in Khartoum, a growing insurgency in the south, drought, famine, and an increasingly difficult refugee burden.

In early April, during Nimeiri's absence from the country, massive demonstrations, triggered by price increases for bread and other staples, broke out in Khartoum.

On April 6, senior military officers led by Gen. Suwar al-Dahab mounted a coup. Among the first acts of the new government was to suspend the 1983 constitution and disband Nimeiri's Sudan Socialist Union. A 15-member transitional military council was named, chaired by Gen. Suwar al-Dahab. In consultation with an informal conference of political parties, unions, and professional organizations known as the "Gathering," the council appointed an interim civilian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Al Gizouli Defalla.

Elections were held in April, and a civilian government took over from the transitional military council. The government, headed by Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi of the Umma Party, consisted of a coalition of the Umma, DUP (formerly NUP), the National Islamic Front (Hassan al-Turabi's NIF) and several southern parties. This coalition dissolved and reformed several times over the next few years, with Sadiq al-Mahdi and his Umma party always in a central role.

In May, the Sadiq al-Mahdi government began peace negotiations with the SPLA, led by Col. John Garang de Mabior. In that year the SPLA and a number of Sudanese political parties met in Ethiopia and agreed to the "Koka Dam" declaration, which called for abolishing Islamic law and convening a constitutional conference.

During this period, the civil war intensified and the economy continued to deteriorate. Price increases for bread and basic goods sparked riots, causing the government to roll back the increases. The civil war was particularly divisive (see "Civil Strife" below).

When Sadiq al-Mahdi refused to approve a peace plan reached by the DUP and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in November, the DUP left the government. The new government consisted essentially of the Umma and the Islamic fundamentalist NIF.

The peace plan called for the abolition of military pacts with Egypt and Libya, freezing of Islamic law, an end to the state of emergency, and a cease-fire.

In February, the army presented Sadiq with an ultimatum: he could move toward peace or be thrown out. He formed a new government with the DUP and approved the SPLA/DUP agreement.

On June 30, however, military officers under then-Col. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, with NIF instigation and support, replaced the government with the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), a junta comprised of 15 (reduced to 12 in 1991) military officers assisted by a civilian cabinet. General al-Bashir became president and chief of state, prime minister and chief of the armed forces. Twelve years later, he continues to hold executive authority over the Khartoum government.

The military government repudiated the DUP/SPLA agreement and state it wished to negotiate with the SPLA without preconditions. Negotiations were renewed in August and December, but there was little progress.

In March, a new penal code, the Criminal Act of 1991, instituted harsh punishments nationwide, including amputations and stoning. Although the southern states were "officially" exempt from these Islamic prohibitions and penalties, the 1991 act provided for a possible future application of Islamic Law (Shari'a) in the south.

In August, internal dissention among the rebels led opponents of Colonel Garang's leadership of the SPLA to form the so-called Nasir faction of the rebel army.

The government transferred all non-Muslim judges from the south to the north, replacing them with Muslim Judges. The introduction of Public Order Police to enforce Shari'a law resulted in the arrest and treatment under Shari'a law of southerners and other non-Muslims living in the north.

In February, Kerubino Kwanyin Bol formed a third rebel faction. On April 5, the three dissident rebel factions announced a coalition of their groups called SPLA United at a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

Egyptian President Mubarak accuses Sudan of being involved in attempt to assassinate him in Addis Ababa.

A coalition of internal and exiled opposition parties in the north and the south created the National Democratic Alliance as an anti-government umbrella group. This development opened a northeastern front to the civil war, making it more than before a center-periphery rather than simply a north-south conflict. The SPLA, DUP, and Umma Parties were the key groups forming the NDA, along with several smaller parties and northern ethnic groups.

US launches missile attack on a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, alleging that it was making materials for chemical weapons.

New constitution endorsed by over 90% of voters in referendum.

President Bashir dissolves the National Assembly and declares a state of emergency following a power struggle with parliamentary speaker, Hassan al-Turabi.

Sudan begins to export oil.

In July, the Libyan/Egyptian Joint Initiative on the Sudan was mooted, calling for the establishment of an interim government, powersharing, constitutional reform, and new elections. Southern critics objected to the joint initiative because it neglected to address issues of the relationship between religion and the state and failed to mention the right of self-determination.

Governor of Khartoum issues decree barring women from working in public places.

Failure of Nairobi peace talks attended by President al-Bashir and rebel leader John Garang.

Government says it accepts a Libyan/Egyptian initiative to end the civil war. The plan includes a national reconciliation conference and reforms.

In September, the Bush Administration named former Senator John Danforth as its Presidential Envoy for Peace in the Sudan. His role was to search for a just end to the civil war, and enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to reduce the suffering of the Sudanese people stemming from the effects of civil war.

However, while the historic north-south conflict was on its way to resolution, a rebellion broke out in Darfur, in western Sudan.

Led by two rebel groups--the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). These groups represented agrarian farmers who were non-Arabized black African Muslims. In seeking to defeat the rebel movements, the Government of Sudan armed and supported local tribal and other militias, which have come to be known as the "Jingaweit." Their members were composed of Arabized black African Muslims who herded cattle, camels and other livestock. Attacks on the civilian population by the Jingaweit, often with the direct support of Government of Sudan forces, have led to the death of tens of thousands of persons in Darfur.

Army moves to stop rebel uprising in western region of Darfur.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees flee to neighbouring Chad.

UN official says pro-government Arab "Janjaweed" militias are carrying out systematic killings of African villagers in Darfur.

A cease-fire between the parties was signed in N'djamena, Chad, on April 8. Despite the deployment of an African Union observer force to monitor implementation of the cease-fire and investigate violations, violence continued. The SLA/M and JEM have continued negotiations with the Government of Sudan under mediation of the African Union. Like previous agreements, these have been violated by both sides.

These talks resulted in additional protocols on addressing the humanitarian and security aspects of the conflict on November 9.

The African Union, with the support of the UN Security Council, the United States, and the rest of the international community, began deploying a larger monitoring and observer force in October.

In keeping with their commitment to the Security Council, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army formally signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on January 9.

In February, the U.S. circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would establish a UN peace support operation in the Sudan and includes measures to pressure the parties to the Darfur conflict to abide by their commitments in previous resolutions, including targeted sanctions.

Talks resumed in Abuja on June 10, resulting in a July 6 signing of a Declaration of Principles. Further talks are scheduled for the fall of 2005 and will cover power sharing, wealth sharing, and security arrangements.

Former southern rebel leader John Garang is sworn in as first vice president. A constitution which gives a large degree of autonomy to the south is signed.

By July, the international force had reached approximately 3,320, with the African Union committing to a force level of roughly 7,700 by September.

As of July, large-scale conflict in Darfur had diminished, although attacks on humanitarian operations increased, rendering assistance to internally displaced and vulnerable persons hazardous.

Government announces death of vice president and former rebel leader John Garang in an air crash. He is succeeded by Salva Kiir. Garang's death sparks deadly clashes in the capital between southern Sudanese and northern Arabs.

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• black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

• 2.3% (2001 est.)
  (Compare to other countries)
• 400,000 (2001 est.) (Compare to other countries)

• total: 62.5 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 63.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 61.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
  note: program of "Arabization" in process

• total population: 58.54 years
  male: 57.33 years
  female: 59.8 years (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• total population: 61.1%
  male: 71.8%
  female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

• Coming from the road!

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• noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
  adjective: Sudanese

• 40,187,486 (July 2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 2.6% (2005 est.)

• Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum

School enrollment
(% relevant age group) From UNESCO.

• Net primary enrollment: NA
• Net secondary enrollment: NA

• Coming from the road!

• 4.85 children born/woman (2005 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• Coming from the road!

• 26 states - A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal, Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab

• Khartoum

• chief of state:President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
• head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
• 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: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA)

• 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

• Jan 1 - Independence Day
• Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) - changes
• Islamic New Year - changes
• Mar 3 - National Unity Day
• Apr 6 - Uprising Day
• Al-Mowlid Al Nabawi (Birth of the Prophet) - changes
• May 25 - May Revolution Anniversary
• Jun 30 - Revolution Day
• Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) - changes
• Dec 25 Christmas Day

• January 1956 (from Egypt and UK )

• unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms)

• Omdurman, Khartoum, Khartoum North, Port Sudan, Kassala, Al-Obeid, Nyala, Al-Gezira

• Nahnu Jund Allah Jund Al-Watan (Click here for full anthem)

• 75 (2004 est.)(12 paved) (Compare to other countries)

• total: 11,900 km
  paved: 4,320 km
  unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin

Fixed lines
& mobile telephones
(per 1,000 people)
(From ITU)

• 13.2 m (2000)
• 46.6 m (2003)

• +249

• .sd

• 300,000 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

Press

• Al-Anba
• Al-Ayam
• Al-Khartoum
• Al-Ra'y al-Amm
• Alwan
• Al-Sahafah
• Khartoum Monitor

Television

• Sudan National Broadcasting Corporation (SNBC)

Radio

• Mango 96 FM
• Sudan National Radio Corporation
• Voice of Freedom and Renewal
• Voice of Hope
• Voice of Sudan

• 3.2 (2000)
• NA (2003)

• 0.0 (2000)
• 0.0 (2003)

• 900,000 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 650,000 (2003)
• (Compare to other countries)

• UTC/GMT +3 hours
• Find the local time: Time and Date

• cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock

• Sudanese dinar (SDD)
• Currency converter

• Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002), 258.7 (2001), 257.12 (2000)

• oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar

• China 64.3%, Japan 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 3.7% (2004)

• calendar year

• purchasing power parity parity - $76.19 billion (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 6.4% (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat

• 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)

• oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly

• 9% (2004 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• 40% (2004 est.)

• 18.7% (2002 est.)
• (Compare to other countries)

• Khartoum - place where the two Niles meet
• Port Sudan
• Meroe cemetry
• Omdurman markets

• 52,000 (2002)

• All travelers need a visa.

• Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region (2003)

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• Al-Anba
• Al-Ayam
• Al-Khartoum
• Al-Ra'y al-Amm
• Alwan
• Al-Sahafah
• Khartoum Monitor