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| Sudan |

Introduction | Sudan

Background: | Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years of this period (1972-82). The wars are rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects have led to more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels and entered the war as a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement.

Geography | Sudan

Location: | Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates: | 15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: | Africa
Area: | total: 2,505,810 sq km water: 129,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
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
Coastline: | 853 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: | tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain: | generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Natural resources: | petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
Land use: | arable land: 6.83% permanent crops: 0.18% other: 92.99% (2001)
Irrigated land: | 19,500 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: | largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

People | Sudan

Population: | 39,148,162 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,730,609; female 8,358,569) 15-64 years: 54.1% (male 10,588,634; female 10,571,199) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 490,869; female 408,282) (2004 est.)
Median age: | total: 17.9 years male: 17.7 years female: 18.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: | 2.64% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: | 35.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: | 9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: | -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
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: 1.2 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 64.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 64.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 58.13 years male: 56.96 years female: 59.36 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 4.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 2.6% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 450,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 23,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria, dengue fever, trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis overall degree of risk: very high (2004)
Nationality: | noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese
Ethnic groups: | black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Religions: | Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Languages: | Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of "Arabization" in process
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

Government | Sudan

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan local short form: As-Sudan
Government type: | authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989; government is run by an alliance of the military and the National Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF), which espouses an Islamist platform
Capital: | Khartoum
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
Independence: | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
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
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
Suffrage: | 17 years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA) head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government 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 election results: Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan 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 note: BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996
Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: NCP 355, others 5
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts
Political parties and leaders: | the government allows political "associations" under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI]; National Congress Party [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR]; National Democratic Alliance [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]; Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]
International organization participation: | ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001) FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M. GALLUCCI embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (11) 774611 or 774700 FAX: [249] (11) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum (see http://usembassy.egnet.net/sudan.htm)
Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy | Sudan

Economy - overview: | Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, yet it still faces formidable economic problems, starting from its low level of per capita output and extending to its devastating civil stife. 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 6.1% in 2003 and 7% in 2004. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south, the ethnic purges in Darfur, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $70.95 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 38.7% industry: 20.3% services: 41% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 14.8% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: | NA (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 8.8% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 11 million (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 18.7% (2002 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $2.402 billion expenditures: $2.546 billion, including capital expenditures of $304 million (2003 est.)
Public debt: | 87% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: | cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock
Industries: | oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly
Industrial production growth rate: | 8.5% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: | 2.389 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 2.222 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 209,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 50,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: | 631.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 99.11 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $-718 million (2003)
Exports: | $2.45 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: | oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar
Exports - partners: | China 40.9%, Saudi Arabia 17.2%, UAE 5.4% (2003)
Imports: | $2.383 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners: | Saudi Arabia 16.3%, China 14.2%, UK 5%, Germany 4.9%, India 4.8%, France 4.1% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: | $847.2 million (2003)
Debt - external: | $16.09 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $172 million (2001)
Currency: | Sudanese dinar (SDD)
Currency code: | SDD
Exchange rates: | Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 260.983 (2003), 263.306 (2002), 258.702 (2001), 257.122 (2000), 252.55 (1999)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Sudan

Telephones - main lines in use: | 900,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 650,000 (2003)
Telephone system: | general assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: | 7.55 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 3 (1997)
Televisions: | 2.38 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .sd
Internet hosts: | NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 2 (2002)
Internet users: | 300,000 (2003)

Transportation | Sudan

Railways: | total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2003)
Highways: | total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2004)
Pipelines: | gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin
Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,466 GRT/26,973 DWT by type: livestock carrier 1, roll on/roll off 2 registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
Airports: | 63 (2003 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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 33 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
Heliports: | 2 (2003 est.)

Military | Sudan

Military branches: | Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF), Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 3 years (August 2004)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 9,339,775 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 5,743,783 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 442,242 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $581 million (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.5% (1999)

Transnational Issues | Sudan

Disputes - international: | the north-south civil war has affected Sudan's neighbors by drawing them into the fighting and by forcing them to provide shelter to refugees, to contend with infiltration by rebel groups, and to serve as mediators; Sudan has provided shelter to Ugandan refugees and cover to Lord's Resistance Army soldiers; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing and currently effectively administers the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the Treaty Line; Sudan has pledged to work with the Central African Republic to stem violent skirmishes over water and grazing among related pastoral populations along the border
Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 108,251 (Eritrea), 5,023 (Chad), 7,983 (Uganda) IDPs: 4.367 million (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide) (2004)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005