Sudan
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment 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 stipulates national elections for the 2008 - 2009 timeframe. |
| Capital |
name: Khartoum
geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side |
| Currency | Sudanese dinar (SDD) |
| Internet country code | .sd |
| Ports and terminals | Port Sudan |
| Agriculture products | cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
| Industries | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
| Geography |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea |
| Coordinates | 15 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 2,505,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Natural resources | petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower |
| Natural hazards | dust storms and periodic persistent droughts |
| People |
| Population | 41,236,378 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% |
| Religions | 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
note: program of "Arabization" in process |
