1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Climate
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)
Coastline
853 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Environment--current issues
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification
Environment--international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Geography--note
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
Irrigated land
19,460 sq km (1993 est.)
Land 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
Land use
arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 19% other: 30% (1993 est.)
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
dust storms
Natural resources
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold
Terrain
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 45% (male 7,941,909; female 7,614,225) 15-64 years: 53% (male 9,094,712; female 9,061,194) 65 years and over: 2% (male 423,389; female 340,261) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
39.34 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
10.6 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Infant mortality rate
70.94 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of Arabization in process
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 56.4 years male: 55.41 years female: 57.44 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.1% male: 57.7% female: 34.6% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese
Net migration rate
-1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
34,475,690 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
2.71% (1999 est.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.24 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.58 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
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
Capital
Khartoum
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
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
Data code
SU
Executive branch
chief of state: President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note--President al-BASHIR's government is dominated by members of Sudan's National Islamic Front (NIF), a fundamentalist political organization formed from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986; in 1998, the NIF created the National Congress as its legal front; the National Congress/NIF dominates much of Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies; President al-BASHIR named a new cabinet on 20 April 1996 which includes members of the National Islamic Front, serving and retired military officers, and civilian technocrats; on 8 March 1998, he reshuffled the cabinet and brought in several former rebel and opposition members as ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR elected president; percent of vote--Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 75.7%; note--about forty other candidates ran for president note: al-BASHIR, as chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), assumed power on 30 June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until 16 October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; 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, which has since been replaced by the National Assembly which was elected in March 1996
Flag description
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
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
Independence
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
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 (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mahdi Ibrahim MAHAMMAD (recalled to Khartoum in August 1998) chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 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; they visit Khartoum monthly, but the Sudanese Government has not allowed such visits since August 1998; the US Embassy in Khartoum (located on Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue; mailing employees; the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya is located temporarily in the USAID Building at The Crescent, Parkland, Nairobi; mailing address--P.O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831; Cairo, Egypt is located at (North Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City, Cairo; mailing address--Unit 64900, APO AE
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 Political pressure groups and leaders: National Islamic Front or its legal front)
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
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275 elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supraassembly of interest groups known as the National Congress) elections: last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: NA; the March 1996 elections were held on a nonparty basis; parties are banned in the new National Assembly
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Suffrage
NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Economy
Agriculture--products
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sesame; sheep
Budget
revenues: $482 million expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $30 million (1996)
Currency
1 Sudanese pound (LSd) = 100 piastres
Debt--external
$20.3 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient
$254.4 million (1995)
Economy--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 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 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 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 1998. Hyperinflation has raised consumer prices above the reach of most. In 1998, a top priority was to develop potentially lucrative oilfields in southcentral Sudan; the government is working with foreign partners to exploit the oil sector.
Electricity--consumption
1.315 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
1.315 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 27.76% hydro: 72.24% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
Sudanese pounds (LSd) per US$1--1,819.70 (April 1998), 1,873.53 (2d Qtr 1998), 1,575.74 (1997), 1,250.79 (1996), 580.87 (1995), 289.61 (1994), 159.31 (1993)
Exports
$594 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities
cotton 23%, sesame 22%, livestock/meat 13%, gum arabic 5% (1996)
Exports--partners
Saudi Arabia 20%, UK 14%, China 11%, Italy 8% (1996)
Fiscal year
calendar year note: prior to July 1995, Sudan had a fiscal year that began on 1 July and ended on 30 June; as a transition to their new fiscal year, a six-month budget was implemented for 1 July-31 December 1995; the new calendar year (1 January-31 December) fiscal year became effective 1 January 1996
GDP
purchasing power parity--$31.2 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 33% industry: 17% services: 50% (1992 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$930 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
6.1% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$1.42 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Imports--commodities
foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles (1996)
Imports--partners
Saudi Arabia 10%, South Korea 7%, Germany 6%, Egypt 6% (1996)
Industrial production growth rate
5% (1996 est.)
Industries
cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
27% (mid-1997 est.)
Labor force
11 million (1996 est.) note: labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.)
Labor force--by occupation
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
30% (FY92/93 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 11, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998 est.)
Radios
5.75 million (1998 est.)
Telephone system
large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Telephones
77,215 (1983 est.)
Television broadcast stations
3 (1997)
Televisions
250,000 (1998 est.)
Transportation
Airports
63 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 11 (1998 est.)
Heliports
1 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 38,093 GRT/49,727 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
refined products 815 km Ports and harbors: Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin
Railways
total: 5,516 km narrow gauge: 4,800 km 1.067-m gauge; 716 km 1.6096-m gauge plantation line
Waterways
5,310 km navigable
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Militia
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$550 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
NA%
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 7,942,139 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,889,557 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
18 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 379,174 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
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