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Sudan
Background: Military dictatorships promulgating an Islamic government have mostly run the country since independence from the UK in 1956. Over the past two decades, a civil war pitting black Christians and animists in the south against the Arab-Muslims of the north has cost at least 1.5 million lives in war and famine-related deaths, as well as the displacement of millions of others.
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area:
Area - comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US Land boundaries:
Coastline: 853 km Maritime claims:
Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October) Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower Land use:
Irrigated land: 19,460 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: dust storms Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
Population: 35,079,814 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
Population growth rate: 2.84% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 38.58 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 10.28 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: 0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 70.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 5.47 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
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
Literacy:
Country name:
Data code: SU Government type: transitional - previously ruling military junta; presidential and National Assembly elections held in March 1996; new constitution drafted by Presidential Committee, went into effect on 30 June 1998 after being approved in nationwide referendum Capital: Khartoum Administrative divisions: 26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); 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 Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956) Constitution: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR 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; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage: NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory Executive branch:
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275 elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supra assembly of interest groups known as the National Congress)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts Political parties and leaders:
political parties were banned following 30 June 1989 coup, however, political "associations" are allowed under a new law drafted in 1998 and implemented on 1 January 1999 and include - National Congress [Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders: National Islamic Front or NIF [Hasan al-TURABI] (the National Congress operates as its legal front) International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US:
Diplomatic representation from the US: US officials at the US Embassy in Khartoum were moved for security reasons in February 1996 and have been relocated to the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Cairo, Egypt; the US Embassy in Khartoum (located on Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue; mailing address - P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829; telephone - [249] (11) 774611 or 774700; FAX - [249] (11) 774137) is kept open by local employees; the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya is located in the Interim Office Building on Mombasa Road, Nairobi; mailing address - P. O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831; telephone - [254] (2) 751613; FAX - [254] (2) 743204; the US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt is located at (North Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City, Cairo; mailing address - Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900; telephone - [20] (2) 3557371; FAX - [20] (2) 3573200 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Economy - overview: Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, weak world commodity prices, a drop in remittances from abroad, and counterproductive economic policies. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. Agriculture employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable largely to declining annual rainfall, has kept per capita income at low levels. A large foreign debt and huge arrears continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative because of its nonpayment of arrears to the Fund. After Sudan backtracked on promised reforms in 1992-93, the IMF threatened to expel Sudan from the Fund. To avoid expulsion, Khartoum agreed to make token payments on its arrears to the Fund, liberalize exchange rates, and reduce subsidies, measures it has partially implemented. The government's continued prosecution of the civil war and its growing international isolation continued to inhibit growth in the nonagricultural sectors of the economy during 1999. The government has worked with foreign partners to develop the oil sector, and the country is producing approximately 150,000 barrels per day. GDP: purchasing power parity - $32.6 billion (1999 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $940 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1999 est.) Labor force:
11 million (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%, unemployed 4% Unemployment rate: 30% (FY92/93 est.) Budget:
Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1996 est.) Electricity - production: 1.815 billion kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 1.688 billion kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sesame; sheep Exports: $580 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) Exports - commodities: cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, oil, gum arabic Exports - partners: Saudi Arabia 24%, Italy 10%, Germany 5%, Egypt 5%, France 3%, Japan 3%, China 1% (1998) Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.) Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles Imports - partners: China 27%, France 14%, UK 10%, Germany 7%, Japan 4%, Netherlands 3%, Canada 1% (1998) Debt - external: $24 billion (1999 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $187 million (1997) Currency: 1 Sudanese dinar (SD) = 100 piastres; note - in July 1999 the Sudanese Central Bank made the formal declaration that all dealings with the Sudanese pound should stop Exchange rates: Sudanese dinars (SD) per US$1 - 230.2 (1999), 172.2 (1998), 148.8 (1997), 118.2 (1996); (old currency) Sudanese pounds per US$1 - 2,526.34 (2d Qtr 1999), 2,008.02 (1998), 1,575.74 (1997), 1,250.79 (1996), 580.87 (1995) Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use: 75,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,000 (1998) Telephone system:
large, well-equipped system by regional standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards; cellular communications started in 1996
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Radios: 7.55 million (1997) Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997) Televisions: 2.38 million (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
Railways:
Highways:
Waterways: 5,310 km navigable Pipelines: refined products 815 km Ports and harbors: Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin Merchant marine:
Airports: 61 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Militia Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability:
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $550 million (FY98) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary; Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899 Please click here for a guide to the country profiles Click here for all other countries
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