2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.7% (male 8,993,483/female 8,614,022) 15-64 years: 54.9% (male 11,327,679/female 11,297,798) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 536,754/female 466,642) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock

Airports

88 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2006)

total

15

Airports - with unpaved runways

over 3,047 m

1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 37

total

73

under 914 m

17 (2006)

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

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 4 million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than 2 million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords; a final Naivasha peace treaty of January 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, after which a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict that broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003 has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and nearly 2 million displaced; as of late 2005, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad, and armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations. Geography Sudan

Birth rate

34.53 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$10.1 billion; including capital expenditures of $304 million (2006 est.)

revenues

$7.943 billion

Capital

geographic coordinates

15 36 N, 32 32 E

name

Khartoum

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

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; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005

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

Currency (code)

Sudanese dinar (SDD)

Currency code

SDD

Current account balance

$-4.51 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$29.69 billion (2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Cameron HUME

embassy

Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum

mailing address

P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829

telephone

[249] (183) 774701

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir HAROUN (since April 2001)

telephone

[1] (202) 338-8565

Disputes - international

the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in turn, hosted 20,000 Chadians, 122,000 Eritreans, 14,810 Ethiopians, 7,900 Ugandans and 5,000 Congolese as refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times; while Sudan claims to administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations from the Central African Republic along the border

Economic aid - recipient

$172 million (2001)

Economy - overview

Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus, which, along with monetary policy, has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 10% in 2006. Agricultural production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force, contributing 35% of GDP, and accounting for most of GDP growth, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - resulting from the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years.

Electricity - consumption

3.576 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

3.845 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

52.1%

hydro

47.9%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

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; periodic drought

Environment - international 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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 217.402 (2006), 243.61 (2005), 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet

chief of state

President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election

elections

election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

head of government

President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

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

Exports

$7.505 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar

Exports - partners

China 71.1%, Japan 12%, Saudi Arabia 2.8% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 667-2406

[249] (183) 774137

note

US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum; consular services are being established in Juba (southern Sudan)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Sudan

Flag description

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

35.5%

industry

24.8%

services

39.7% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

9.6% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$25.5 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$96.01 billion (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 30 00 E

Geography - note

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

Government type

Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections for the 2008 - 2009 timeframe.

Heliports

1 (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

23,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

400,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

IDPs

5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide in Darfur region, IDP registration for return to South Sudan started in 2005) (2006)

Imports

$8.693 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat

Imports - partners

China 20.7%, Saudi Arabia 9.4%, UAE 5.9%, Egypt 5.5%, Japan 5.1%, India 4.8% (2005)

Independence

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Industrial production growth rate

8.5% (1999 est.)

Industries

oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly

Infant mortality rate

female

60.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

61.88 deaths/1,000 live births

total

61.05 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Internet country code

.sd

Internet hosts

16 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2002)

Internet users

2.8 million (2005) Transportation Sudan

Investment (gross fixed)

25.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

18,630 sq km (2003)

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

Labor force

7.415 million (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

80%

industry

7%

services

13% (1998 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

6.78%

other

93.05% (2005)

permanent crops

0.17%

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 Shari'a law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Shari'a law in the northern states; Shari'a law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Shari'a law will not apply to the southern states

Legislative branch

bi-cameral body comprising the National Assembly and Council of States (replaced unicameral National Assembly of 360 seats); pending elections and National Election Law, the Presidency appointed 450 members to the National Assembly according to the provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement: 52% NCP; 28% SPLM; 14% other Northerners; 6% other Southerners; 2 representatives from every state constitute the Council of States; terms in each chamber are five years following the first elections

election results

NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

elections

last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2008-2009 timeframe)

Life expectancy at birth

female

60.21 years (2006 est.)

male

57.69 years

total population

58.92 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

50.5% (2003 est.) Government Sudan

male

71.8%

total population

61.1%

Location

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

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

respiratory disease

meningococcal meningitis

vectorborne diseases

malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations

water contact disease

schistosomiasis

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

8,135,683 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

8,291,695

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

5,649,566 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

5,427,474

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

426,320 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

442,915

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

18 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

18.5 years (2006 est.)

male

18.1 years

total

18.3 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1, livestock carrier 1

registered in other countries

2 (Panama 1, Saudi Arabia 1) (2006)

total

2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,326 GRT/14,068 DWT

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$587 million (2001 est.) (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3% (1999) (2004) Transnational Issues Sudan

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - three years (August 2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Nationality

adjective

Sudanese

noun

Sudanese (singular and plural)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

66,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

275,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - production

344,700 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.6 billion bbl (2006 est.)

Pipelines

gas 156 km; oil 3,930 km; refined products 1,613 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

political parties in the Government of National Unity include: National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed OMAR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]

Population

41,236,378 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

40% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

2.55% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Port Sudan Military Sudan

Public debt

59.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

7.55 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2005)

total

5,978 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

116,746 (Eritrea), 20,000 (Chad), 14,633 (Ethiopia), 7,901 (Uganda)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$3.552 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

4,320 km

total

11,900 km

unpaved

7,580 km (1999)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female

Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF)

Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory

Telephone system

domestic

consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations

general assessment

large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially

international

country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)

Telephones - main lines in use

670,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.828 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

3 (1997)

Televisions

2.38 million (1997)

Terrain

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Total fertility rate

4.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan may also be a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked to the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, for use as camel jockeys; small numbers of girls are reportedly trafficked within Sudan for domestic servitude, as well as for commercial sexual exploitation in small brothels in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps; the terrorist rebel organization "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) continues to abduct and forcibly conscript small numbers of children in Southern Sudan for use as cooks, porters, and combatants in its ongoing war against Uganda; some of these children are then trafficked across borders into Uganda or possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; children are utilized by rebel groups and the Sudanese Armed Forces and associated militias in the ongoing conflict in Darfur; during the decades of civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were enslaved by members of Baggara tribes and subjected to various forms of forced labor without remuneration, as well as physical and sexual abuse; with the cessation of the North-South conflict and the ongoing peace process, there were no known new abductions of Dinka by Baggara tribes during 2005; however, inter-tribal abductions of a different nature continue in Southern Sudan and warrant further investigation

tier rating

Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Unemployment rate

18.7% (2002 est.)

Waterways

4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2005)