2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

2.376 million sq km

total

2,505,810 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

highest point

Kinyeti 3,187 m

lowest point

Red Sea 0 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

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

total

7,687 km

Land use

arable land

5%

forests and woodland

19%

other

30% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

46%

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, hydropower

Terrain

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west

Age structure

0-14 years: 45% (male 8,064,592; female 7,712,839) 15-64 years: 53% (male 9,300,886; female 9,290,340) 65 years and over: 2% (male 406,034; female 305,123) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

38.58 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

10.28 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

70.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 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

female

57.66 years (2000 est.)

male

55.49 years

total population

56.55 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

34.6% (1995 est.)

male

57.7%

total population

46.1%

Nationality

adjective

Sudanese

noun

Sudanese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

35,079,814 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.84% (2000 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: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.33 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of the Sudan

conventional short form

Sudan

former

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

local long form

Jumhuriyat as-Sudan

local short form

As-Sudan

Data code

SU

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 - (11) 774611 or 774700; FAX - (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 - (2) 751613; FAX - (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 - (2) 3557371; FAX - (2) 3573200

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Mahdi Ibrahim MAHAMMAD (recalled to Khartoum in August 1998)

telephone

(202) 338-8565

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president; note - President 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 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; he reshuffled his cabinet again on 24 January 2000 but announced few changes

chief of state

President Lt. Gen. 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. Gen. George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)

head of government

President Lt. Gen. 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. Gen. George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

note

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 elected in March 1996; on 12 December 1999 BASHIR dismissed the National Assembly during an internal power struggle between the president and speaker of the Parliament Hasan al-TURABI

FAX

(202) 667-2406

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, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

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 supra assembly of interest groups known as the National Congress)

election results

NA; the March 1996 elections were held on a nonparty basis; parties are banned in the new National Assembly

elections

last held 6-17 March 1996 (next scheduled for NA 2000)

note

on 12 December 1999, President BASHIR sent troops to take over parliament

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

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

note

the political association law is currently under review

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Islamic Front or NIF (the National Congress operates as its legal front)

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory

Agriculture - products

cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sesame; sheep

Budget

expenditures

$1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

revenues

$1.2 billion

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

Debt - external

$24 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$187 million (1997)

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.

Electricity - consumption

1.688 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

1.815 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

44.9%

hydro

55.1%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

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)

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $32.6 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

41%

industry

17%

services

42% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $940 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

20% (1999 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%, unemployed 4%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

30% (FY92/93 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

7.55 million (1997)

Telephone system

large, well-equipped system by regional standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards; cellular communications started in 1996

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 - main lines in use

75,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3,000 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

3 (1997)

Televisions

2.38 million (1997)

Airports

61 (1999 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 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

49 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

4,320 km

total

11,900 km

unpaved

7,580 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off 2 (1999 est.)

total

4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 38,093 GRT/49,727 DWT

Pipelines

refined products 815 km

Ports and harbors

Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin

Railways

narrow gauge

4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 716 km 1.6096-m gauge plantation line

note

the main line linking Khartoum to Port Sudan carries over two-thirds of Sudan's rail traffic

total

5,311 km

Waterways

5,310 km navigable

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Militia

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$550 million (FY98)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 8,144,048 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 5,014,429 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

386,168 (2000 est.)

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

SURINAME