2010 Edition

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. After which, a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. 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 on 31 December 2007. As of early 2009, peacekeeping troops were struggling 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.

Area

land

2.376 million sq km

total

2,505,813 sq km

water

129,813 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Climate

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

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; 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

1,030 cu m/yr (2000)

total

37.32 cu km/yr (3%/1%/97%)

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 30 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

18,630 sq km (2003)

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%

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 and periodic persistent droughts

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

154 cu km (1997)

Age structure

0-14 years: 40.7% (male 8,535,551/female 8,173,616) 15-64 years: 56.8% (male 11,745,683/female 11,603,906) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 532,968/female 496,101) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

36.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

11.66 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

6% of GDP (1991)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.4% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

25,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

320,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

71.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

73.08 deaths/1,000 live births

total

72.39 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

55.44 years (2010 est.)

male

53.04 years

total population

54.21 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

50.5% (2003 est.)

male

71.8%

total population

61.1%

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

respiratory disease

meningococcal meningitis

vectorborne diseases

malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)

water contact disease

schistosomiasis

Median age

female

18.8 years (2010 est.)

male

18 years

total

18.4 years

Nationality

adjective

Sudanese

noun

Sudanese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

43,939,598 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

2.497% (2010 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total

4 years (2000)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.93 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

4.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

43% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazira (Gezira), Al Khartoum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahda (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shimaliyya (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Central Equatoria), Gharb al Istiwa'iyya (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr el Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqoley (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (River Nile), Shimal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr el Ghazal), Shimal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shimal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyya (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warrap)

Capital

geographic coordinates

15 36 N, 32 32 E

name

Khartoum

time difference

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

Constitution

Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005 note: under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Interim National Constitution was ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan was 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert E. WHITEHEAD

embassy

Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum

FAX

[249] (183) 774137

mailing address

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

telephone

[249] (183) 774700 through 704

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Akec Khoc ACIEW Khoc

FAX

[1] (202) 667-2406

telephone

[1] (202) 338-8565

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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

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

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

elections

election on 11-15 April 2010; next to be held in 2015

head of government

President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; colors and design based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I, but the meanings of

the colors are expressed as follows

red signifies the struggle for freedom, white is the color of peace, light, and love, black represents Sudan itself (in Arabic 'Sudan' means black), green is the color of Islam, agriculture, and prosperity

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 stipulated national elections in 2009, but these were subsequently rescheduled for April 2010

Independence

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, 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, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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

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; however, the CPA establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the southern states

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)

election results

Not available; prior to the 11-15 April 2010 election, members appointmented under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

elections

last held on 11-15 April 2010 (next to be held in 2016)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN note: adopted 1956; the song originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military

name

"Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan" (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Unionist Party or DUP [Hatim al-SIR]; National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva KIIR]; elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party

Political pressure groups and leaders

Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]; Darfur rebel groups including the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM [Khalil IBRAHIM] and the Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM [various factional leaders]

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Current account balance

-$2.595 billion (2010 est.) -$2.817 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$37.98 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $35.71 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Economy - overview

Since 1997, Sudan has been working with the IMF to implement macroeconomic reforms including a managed float of the exchange rate and a large reserve of foreign exchange. A new currency, the Sudanese Pound, was introduced in January 2007 at an initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter of 1999 and the economy boomed on the back of increases in oil production, high oil prices, and significant inflows of foreign direct investment until the second half of 2008. The Darfur conflict, the aftermath of two decades of civil war in the south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years to come despite rapid rises in average per capita income. Sudan's real GDP expanded by 5.2% during 2010, an improvement over 2009's 4.2% growth but significantly below the more that 10% per year growth experienced prior to the global financial crisis in 2006 and 2007. While the oil sector continues to drive growth, services and utilities play an increasingly important role in the economy with agriculture production remaining important as it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of GDP. In the lead up to the referendum on southern secession, scheduled in January 2011, Sudan saw its currency depreciate considerably on the black market with the Central Bank's official rate also losing value as the Sudanese people started to hoard foreign currency. The Central Bank of Sudan intervened heavily in the currency market to defend the value of the pound and the Sudanese government introduced a number of measures to restrain excess local demand for hard currency, but uncertainty ahead of the referendum has meant that foreign exchange remained in heavy demand as 2010 came to a close.

Electricity - consumption

3.438 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

4.341 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.36 (2010), 2.32 (2009), 2.1 (2008), 2.06 (2007), 2.172 (2006)

Exports

$9.777 billion (2010 est.) $7.56 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

China 58.29%, Japan 14.7%, Indonesia 8.83%, India 4.86% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

32.1%

industry

29%

services

38.9% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,200 (2010 est.) $2,200 (2009 est.) $2,200 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (2010 est.) 4.2% (2009 est.) 6.6% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$65.93 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$98.79 billion (2010 est.) $93.91 billion (2009 est.) $90.12 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$8.483 billion (2010 est.) $8.253 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

China 21.87%, Saudi Arabia 7.22%, Egypt 6.1%, India 5.53%, UAE 5.3% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

3.5% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.8% (2010 est.) 11.2% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

20.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

11.92 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

80%

industry

7%

services

13% (1998 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

84,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

303,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

11,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

486,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

6.8 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

40% (2004 est.)

Public debt

94.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 105.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.063 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $897 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$13.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $12.31 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$10.15 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $9.307 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$7.713 billion (31 December 2010 est) $7.003 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

18.7% (2002 est.)

Broadcast media

in the north, the Sudanese Government directly controls TV and radio, requiring that both media reflect government policies; TV has a permanent military censor; a private radio station is in operation; in southern Sudan, TV is controlled by the regional government; several private FM stations are operational in southern Sudan; some foreign radio broadcasts are available (2007)

Internet country code

.sd

Internet hosts

70 (2010)

Internet users

4.2 million (2008)

Telephone system

domestic

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

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

international

country code - 249; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)

Telephones - main lines in use

370,400 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

15.34 million (2009)

Airports

140 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

19 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

121 1,524 to 2,437 m: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 38 (2010)

Heliports

5 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 2 (2010)

total

2

Pipelines

gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Port Sudan

Railways

narrow gauge

4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2008)

total

5,978 km

Roadways

paved

4,320 km

total

11,900 km

unpaved

7,580 km (2000)

Waterways

4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 10,264,087 females age 16-49: 9,894,457 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 6,094,209 females age 16-49: 6,213,984 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

487,434 (2010 est.)

male

506,742

Military branches

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)

Land Forces, Navy (includes Marines), Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya as-Sudaniya), Popular Defense Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): Popular Army, Air Force (2009)

Military expenditures

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory and voluntary military service; 12-24 month service obligation (2009)

Disputes - international

the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th 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 about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and 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; Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of Halaib region north of the 22nd parallel boundary; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region) (2007)

refugees (country of origin)

157,220 (Eritrea); 25,023 (Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia); 7,895 (Uganda); 5,023 (Central African Republic)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked internally for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad for domestic servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for domestic servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and Ugandan children in the southern part of the country for use as cooks, porters, and combatants; some of these children are also trafficked across borders into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo; militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence; during the two decades-long north-south civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes; while there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan

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; combating human trafficking through law enforcement or prevention measures was not a priority for the government in 2007 (2008) page last updated on January 26, 2011 ======================================================================