Sudan Population: 34,847,910
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| Background | |
| 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 followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. Since southern independence Sudan has been combating rebels from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. 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 in December 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled 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. |
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| Geography | |
| Dominated by the Nile and its tributaries | |
| Location: | north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea |
| Geographic coordinates: | 15 00 N, 30 00 E |
| Area: | total: 1,861,484 sq km land: NA water: NA Size comparison: slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 6,751 km border countries: Central African Republic 175 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,275 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 769 km, Libya 383 km, South Sudan 2,184 km note: Sudan-South Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei region pending negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan |
| 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: | hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November) |
| Terrain: | generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,071 m |
| Natural resources: | petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower |
| Land use: | arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 18,630 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | dust storms and periodic persistent droughts |
| Current Environment Issues: | inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 34,847,910 note: includes the population of South Sudan (8,260,490); demographic data includes South Sudan |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 41.4% (male 7,337,924/female 7,104,702) 15-24 years: 20% (male 3,596,729/female 3,376,682) 25-54 years: 31.4% (male 5,316,659/female 5,639,494) 55-64 years: 3.8% (male 711,596/female 620,962) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 629,312/female 513,850) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 18.7 years male: 18.5 years female: 19 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.88% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 31.7 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.3 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -4.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.24 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 55.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 62.57 years male: 60.58 years female: 64.67 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.05 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 260,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 12,000 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese |
| Ethnic groups: | Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Fallata |
| Religions: | Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority |
| Languages: | Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur 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.) |
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| Government | |
| 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: | Federal republic ruled by the National Congress Party the (NCP), which came to power by military coup in 1989; the CPA-mandated Government of National Unity, which since 2005 provided a percentage of leadership posts to the south Sudan-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), was disbanded following the secession of South Sudan. |
| 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: | 17 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Jazira (Gezira), Al Khartoum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shimaliyya (Northern), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Kassala, Nahr an Nil (River Nile), Sharq Darfur (Eastern Darfur), Shimal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shimal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sinnar, Wasat Darfur (Central Darfur) |
| Independence: | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 1 January (1956) |
| Constitution: | the Government of Sudan is in the process of drafting a new constitution to replace the Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005 |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law |
| 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 NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) 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: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NCP 323, SPLM 99, PCP 4, DUP 4, UFP 3, URRP 2, DUPO 2, SPLM-DC 2, other 7, vacant 4 |
| 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]; Democratic Unionist Party-Original or DUPO; National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Umma Federal Party or UFP; Umma Renewal and Reform Party or URRP |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI]; Darfur rebel groups including the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM [Jabril IBRAHIM and other factional leaders] and the Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM [various factional leaders] |
| International organization participation: | ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Emad Mirghani ALTOHAMY 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 Joseph D. STAFFORD, III embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum mailing address: P.O. Box 699, Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (187)-0-(22000) FAX: [249] (183) 774-137 |
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| Economy | |
| Sudan is an extremely poor country that has had to deal with social conflict, civil war, and the July 2011 secession of South Sudan - the region of the country that had been responsible for about three-fourths of the former Sudan's total oil production. The oil sector had driven much of Sudan's GDP growth since it began exporting oil in 1999. For nearly a decade, the economy boomed on the back of increases in oil production, high oil prices, and significant inflows of foreign direct investment. Following South Sudan's secession, Sudan has struggled to maintain economic stability, because oil earnings now provide a far lower share of the country's need for hard currency and for budget revenues. Sudan is attempting to generate new sources of revenues, such as from gold mining, while carrying out an austerity program to reduce expenditures. Agricultural production continues to employ 80% of the work force. Sudan introduced a new currency, still called the Sudanese pound, following South Sudan's secession, but the value of the currency has fallen since its introduction. Khartoum formally devalued the currency in June when it passed austerity measures that included gradually repealing fuel subsidies. Sudan also faces rising inflation, which reached 47% on an annual basis in November. Ongoing conflicts in Southern Kordofan, Darfur, and the Blue Nile states, lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years to come. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $80.43 billion (2012 est.) $90.61 billion (2011 est.) $94.87 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $51.58 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | -11.2% (2012 est.) -4.5% (2011 est.) 2.2% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,400 (2012 est.) $2,800 (2011 est.) $2,400 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 32% industry: 25% services: 43% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 11.92 million (2007 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 20% (2012 est.) 18.7% (2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 46.5% (2009 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 26.7% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 31.5% (2012 est.) 18% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 26% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $4.521 billion expenditures: $10.07 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 89.3% of GDP (2012 est.) 89.2% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangoes, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep and other livestock |
| Industries: | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 3.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 6.509 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 4.611 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$3.575 billion (2012 est.) $208.1 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $4.548 billion (2012 est.) $9.694 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | gold; oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar |
| Exports - partners: | Macau 65.2%, UAE 15.5% (2011) |
| Imports: | $6.645 billion (2012 est.) $8.205 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat |
| Imports - partners: | Macau 21.5%, UAE 10.1%, Saudi Arabia 6.9%, India 6.7%, Egypt 5.8%, Germany 4.8% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $297.9 million (31 December 2012 est.) $295 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $39.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $38.62 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 4.4 (2012 est.) 2.68 (2011 est.) 2.31 (2010 est.) 2.3 (2009) 2.1 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 483,600 (2011) country comparison to the world: 100 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 25.056 million (2011) |
| 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 the EASSy and FLAG fiber-optic submarine cable systems; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2010) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .sd |
| Internet hosts: | 99 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 4.2 million (2008) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 72 (2012) country comparison to the world: 74 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 15 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 57 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 12 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 6 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 5,978 km 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 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) (2011) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 2 by type: cargo 2 (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Port Sudan |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy (includes Marines), Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya as-Sudaniya), Popular Defense Forces (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory and voluntary military service; 1-2 year service obligation; a requirement that completion of national service was mandatory before entering public or private sector employment has been cancelled (2009) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 10,433,973 females age 16-49: 10,411,443 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 6,475,530 females age 16-49: 6,840,885 (2010 est.) |
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