1994 Edition

Administrative divisions

9 states (wilayat, singular - wilayat or wilayah*); A'ali an Nil, Al Wusta*, Al Istiwa'iyah*, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah*, Ash Sharqiyah*, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan

Agriculture

accounts for 35% of GDP and 80% of labor force; water shortages; two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and livestock; major products - cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sheep; marginally self-sufficient in most foods

Airports

total: 70 usable: 58 with permanent-surface runways: 9 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 29

Area

total area: 2,505,810 sq km land area: 2.376 million sq km comparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Birth rate

41.95 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Budget

revenues: $374.4 million expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $214 million (1993 est.)

Capital

Khartoum

Chief of State and Head of Government

President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); prior to 16 October 1993, BASHIR served concurrently as Chief of State, Chairman of the RCC, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence (since 30 June 1989); Vice President Major General al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 19 October 1993); note - upon its dissolution on 16 October 1993, the RCC's executive and legislative powers were devolved to the President and the Transitional National Assembly (TNA), Sudan's appointed legislative body cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president; note - on 30 October 1993 President BASHIR announced a new, predominantly civilian cabinet, consisting of 20 federal ministers, most of whom retained their previous cabinet positions note: Lt. Gen. BASHIR's government is dominated by members of Sudan's National Islamic Front, a fundamentalist political organization formed from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986; front leader Hasan al-TURABI controls Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies

Climate

tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)

Coastline

853 km

Constitution

12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989

Currency

1 Sudanese pound (#Sd) = 100 piastres

Death rate

12.09 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $339 million, 2.2% of GDP (1989 est.)

Digraph

SU

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ahmad SULAYMAN chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 338-8565 through 8570

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $588 million

Electricity

capacity: 610,000 kW production: 905 million kWh consumption per capita: 40 kWh (1991)

Environment

current issues: contaminated water supplies present human health risks; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification natural hazards: dust storms international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Ethnic divisions

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

Exchange rates

official rate - Sudanese pounds (#Sd) per US$1 - 215 (January 1994), 333.3 (December 1993), 90.1 (March 1992), 5.4288 (1991), 4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987); note - the commercial rate is 300 (January 1994)

Exports

$350 million (f.o.b., FY93 est.) commodities: cotton 52%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts partners: Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)

External debt

$17 billion (June 1993 est.)

FAX

(202) 667-2406

Telex 22619 AMEM SD

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Flag

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

Highways

total: 20,703 km paved: bituminous treated 2,000 km unpaved: gravel 4,000 km; improved earth 2,304 km; unimproved earth 12,399 km

Imports

$1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY93 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles partners: Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)

Independence

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Industrial production

growth rate 6.8% (FY93 est.); accounts for 11% of GDP (FY92)

Industries

cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining

Infant mortality rate

79.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

105% (FY93 est.)

Inland waterways

5,310 km navigable

International disputes

administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary; administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary creating the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km, the dispute over this area escalated in 1993, this area continues to be in dispute

Irrigated land

18,900 sq km (1989 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts

Labor force

6.5 million by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6% note: labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.); 52% of population of working age (1985)

Land boundaries

total 7,687 km, Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km

Land use

arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 24% forest and woodland: 20% other: 51%

Languages

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

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; the council is still studying criminal provisions under Islamic law; Islamic law applies to all residents of the six northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

appointed 300-member Transitional National Assembly; officially assumes all legislative authority for Sudan until the eventual, unspecified resumption of national elections

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.27 years male: 53.4 years female: 55.19 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 27% male: 43% female: 12%

Location

Northern Africa, along the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 6,640,123; fit for military service 4,080,715; reach military age (18) annually 305,885 (1994 est.)

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm

Member of

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Merchant marine

10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 89,842 GRT/122,379 DWT, cargo 8, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $21.5 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$750 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

7% (FY93 est.)

Nationality

noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese

Natural resources

small reserves of petroleum, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver

Net migration rate

-6.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Note

largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

Other political or pressure groups

National Islamic Front, Hasan al-TURABI

Overview

Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, high inflation, a drop in remittances from abroad, and counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The economy's base is agriculture, which 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 reduced levels of per capita income and consumption. A large foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative because of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund. The government implemented a comprehensive economic reform program in 1992 that included slashing the fiscal deficit, liberalizing foreign exchange regulations, and lifting most price controls, but it had backtracked on most reforms by mid-1993 because of its fear of generating a domestic backlash. The government's failure to pursue economic reform, its continued prosecution of the civil war, and its growing international isolation have led to a further deterioration of the non-agricultural sectors of the economy during 1993. Agriculture, on the other hand, after several disappointing years, enjoyed favorable growing conditions in 1993, and its strong performance produced an overall growth rate in GNP of about 7%.

Pipelines

refined products 815 km

Political parties and leaders

none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Population

29,419,798 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.36% (1994 est.)

Ports

Port Sudan, Sawakin

Railroads

5,516 km total; 4,800 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line

Religions

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

Suffrage

none

Telecommunications

large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards; consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radio communications, troposcatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 stations; broadcast stations - 11 AM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations for international traffic - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT

Terrain

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west

Total fertility rate

6.09 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

ruling military junta - Revolutionary Command Council - dissolved on 16 October 1993 and government civilianized

Unemployment rate

30% (FY93 est.)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald K. PETTERSON embassy: Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO AE 09829 telephone: 74700 or 74611