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Africa :: Sudan

- ## Introduction :: SUDAN

- Background:
  Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule 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 another broke out in 1983. 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 followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements signed in September 2012 relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries. The final disposition of the contested Abyei region has also to be decided.
  Since South Sudan's independence, conflict has broken out between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which has resulted in 1.2 million internally displaced persons or severely affected persons needing humanitarian assistance. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. Violence in Darfur in 2013 resulted in an additional estimated 6,000 civilians killed and 500,000 displaced. The UN and the African Union have jointly commanded a Darfur peacekeeping operation known as the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) since 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled to stabilize the situation and have increasingly become targets for attacks by armed groups. Sudan also has faced refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and government denial of access have impeded the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

- ## Geography :: SUDAN

- Location:
  north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
  Geographic coordinates:
  15 00 N, 30 00 E
  Map references:
  Africa
  Area:
  total: 1,861,484 sq km
  land: NA
  water: NA
  country comparison to the world: 16
  Area - comparative:
  slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
  Area comparison map:
  Land boundaries:
  total: 6,819 km
  border countries (7): Central African Republic 174 km, Chad 1,403 km, Egypt 1,276 km, Eritrea 682 km, Ethiopia 744 km, Libya 382 km, South Sudan 2,158 km
  note: Sudan-South Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei region pending negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan
  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:
  hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
  Terrain:
  generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north
  Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
  highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,071 m
  Natural resources:
  petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 100%
  arable land 15.7%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 84.2%
  forest: 0%
  other: 0% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  18,900 sq km (2010)
  Total renewable water resources:
  64.5 cu km (2011)
  Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
  total: 27.59 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)
  per capita: 683.4 cu m/yr (2005)
  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, 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
  Geography - note:
  dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

- ## People and Society :: SUDAN

- Nationality:
  noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
  adjective: Sudanese
  Ethnic groups:
  Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Fallata
  Languages:
  Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur
  note: program of "Arabization" in process
  Religions:
  Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority
  Population:
  36,108,853 (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 38
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 40.15% (male 7,359,547/female 7,138,348)
  15-24 years: 20.5% (male 3,815,524/female 3,587,177)
  25-54 years: 32.08% (male 5,620,201/female 5,964,277)
  55-64 years: 4.02% (male 765,137/female 685,577)
  65 years and over: 3.25% (male 638,495/female 534,570) (2015 est.)
  population pyramid:
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 78%
  youth dependency ratio: 72.1%
  elderly dependency ratio: 5.9%
  potential support ratio: 16.9% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 19.3 years
  male: 19.1 years
  female: 19.6 years (2015 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  1.72% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 68
  Birth rate:
  29.19 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 43
  Death rate:
  7.66 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 109
  Net migration rate:
  -4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 190
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 33.8% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 2.54% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  KHARTOUM (capital) 5.129 million (2015)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 1.19 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Maternal mortality rate:
  311 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 9
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 51.52 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 56.87 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 45.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 35
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 63.68 years
  male: 61.61 years
  female: 65.85 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 186
  Total fertility rate:
  3.79 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 41
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  9% (2010)
  Health expenditures:
  6.5% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 75
  Physicians density:
  0.28 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
  Hospital bed density:
  0.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)
  Drinking water source:
  improved:
  urban: 66% of population
  rural: 50.2% of population
  total: 55.5% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 34% of population
  rural: 49.8% of population
  total: 44.5% of population (2012 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved:
  urban: 43.9% of population
  rural: 13.4% of population
  total: 23.6% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 56.1% of population
  rural: 86.6% of population
  total: 76.4% of population (2012 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.25% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 93
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  53,200 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 55
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  2,900 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: very high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
  vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and Rift Valley fever
  water contact disease: schistosomiasis
  respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
  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 (2013)
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  6.6% (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 150
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
  27% (2006)
  country comparison to the world: 21
  Education expenditures:
  2.2% of GDP (2009)
  Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 75.9%
  male: 83.3%
  female: 68.6% (2015 est.)
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 7 years
  male: 7 years
  female: 7 years (2012)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 22.9%
  male: 21.2%
  female: 25.7% (2008 est.)

- ## Government :: SUDAN

- 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
  Government type:
  federal republic ruled by the National Congress Party (NCP), which seized power by military coup in 1989; the CPA-mandated Government of National Unity, which between 2005 and 2011 provided a percentage of leadership posts to the southern Sudan-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), was disbanded following the secession of South Sudan
  Capital:
  name: Khartoum
  geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E
  time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  Administrative divisions:
  18 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Al Gazira, Al Gedaref, Blue Nile, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Kassala, Khartoum, North Darfur, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, Western Korodfan, White Nile
  Independence:
  1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)
  National holiday:
  Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
  Constitution:
  previous 1998; latest adopted 6 July 2005, effective 9 July 2005 (interim constitution); amended 2015; note - in 2011, the Government of Sudan initiated a process for drafting a new constitution (2015)
  Legal system:
  mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law
  International law organization participation:
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008
  Citizenship:
  citizenship by birth: no
  citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Sudan
  dual citizenship recognized: no
  residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years
  Suffrage:
  17 years of age; universal
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President BAKRI Hassan Salih, Second Vice President Hasabu Mohamed ABDEL RAHMIN (both since 3 December 2013); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
  head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President BAKRI Hassan Salih, Second Vice President Hasabu Mohamed ABDEL RAHMAN (both since 9 December 2013)
  cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the NCP, formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF, dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet
  elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed; last held on 13-16 April 2015 (next to be held in 2020)
  election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (NCP) 94.1%, other (15 candidates) 5.9%
  Legislative branch:
  description: bicameral National Legislature consists of the Council of States or Majlis Weleyat (50 seats; members indirectly elected - 2 each by the 25 state legislatures to serve 6-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis Watani (426 seats; 213 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 128 for women only directly elected by proportional representation vote, and 85 directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms)
  elections: last held on 13-15 April 2015 (next to be held in 2021)
  election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NCP 323, DUP 25, Democratic Unionist Party 15, other 44, independent 19
  note: the mandate of the members from the south was terminated upon independence by the Republic of South Sudan effective 9 July 2011 and membership in Sudan's National Assembly was reduced to 354; it is unclear whether this total will be retained for the next election or whether the previous total of 450 will be reconstituted
  Judicial branch:
  highest court(s): National Supreme Court (consists of 70 judges organized into panels of 3 judges; court includes 4 circuits that operate outside the capital); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 justices including the court president); note - the Constitutional Court resides outside the national judiciary
  judge selection and term of office: National Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Service Commission, an independent body chaired by the chief justice of the republic and members including other judges and judicial and legal officials; Supreme Court judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed for 7 years
  subordinate courts: National Court of Appeals; other national courts (not specified in the 2005 Interim National Constitution as to national or local authority); township and rural (peoples') courts
  Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Unionist Party or DUP [Jalal al-DIGAIR]
  Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI]
  Muslim Brotherhood or MB
  National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]
  National Umma Party or UP [Siddiq al-MAHDI]
  Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]
  Reform Now Party or RNP [Dr. Ghazi Salah al-DEEN]
  Sudanese Communist Party or SCP [Mohammed Moktar Al-KHATEEB]
  Sudanese Congress Party [Ibrahim Al-SHEIKH]
  Unionist Movement Party or UMP [Nagla AL-AZHARI]
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Darfur rebel groups including the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM [Gibril Fidail IBRAHIM], Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM-AW [Abdel Wahid NUR,various factional leaders], Sudan Liberation or SLM-MM [Minni Arkou MINAWI]
  National Consensus Front or NCF [Farouq ABU ISSA]
  Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North or SPLM-N [Malik AGAR]
  Sudan Revolutionary Front or SRF [Malik AGAR]
  International organization participation:
  ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), 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 (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires FATAHELRAMAN Ali Mohamed
  chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565
  FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ambassador Jerry P. LANIER (since 13 May 2014)
  embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum
  mailing address: P.O. Box 699, Kilo 10, Soba, Khartoum; APO AE 09829
  telephone: [249] (187)-0-(22000)
  FAX: [249] (183) 774-137
  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
  National symbol(s):
  secretary bird; national colors: red, white, black, green
  National anthem:
  name: "Nahnu Djundulla Djundulwatan" (We Are the Army of God and of Our Land)
  lyrics/music: Sayed Ahmad Muhammad SALIH/Ahmad MURJAN
  note: adopted 1956; originally served as the anthem of the Sudanese military

- ## Economy :: SUDAN

- Economy - overview:
  Sudan is an extremely poor country that has experienced protracted social conflict, civil war, and, in July 2011, the loss of three-quarters of its oil production due to the secession of South Sudan. The oil sector had driven much of Sudan's GDP growth since 1999. For nearly a decade, the economy boomed on the back of rising oil production, high oil prices, and significant inflows of foreign direct investment. Since the economic shock of South Sudan's secession, Sudan has struggled to stabilize its economy and make up for the loss of foreign exchange earnings. The interruption of oil production in South Sudan in 2012 for over a year and the consequent loss of oil transit fees further exacerbated the fragile state of Sudan’s economy. Sudan is also subject to comprehensive US sanctions. Sudan is attempting to develop non-oil sources of revenues, such as gold mining, while carrying out an austerity program to reduce expenditures. The world’s largest exporter of gum Arabic, Sudan produces 75-80% of the world’s total output. Agriculture continues to employ 80% of the work force. Sudan introduced a new currency, still called the Sudanese pound, following South Sudan's secession, but the value of the currency has fallen since its introduction. Khartoum formally devalued the currency in June 2012, when it passed austerity measures that included gradually repealing fuel subsidies. Sudan also faces rising inflation, which reached 47% on an annual basis in November 2012 but subsided to 37% in 2014. Ongoing conflicts in Southern Kordofan, Darfur, and the Blue Nile states, lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture keep close to half of the population at or below the poverty line.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $160.2 billion (2014 est.)
  $154.7 billion (2013 est.)
  $148.8 billion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 71
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $74.77 billion (2014 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  3.6% (2014 est.)
  3.9% (2013 est.)
  -3.4% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 93
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $4,300 (2014 est.)
  $4,100 (2013 est.)
  $4,000 (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 174
  Gross national saving:
  9.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
  11.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
  9.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 152
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 78.5%
  government consumption: 6.7%
  investment in fixed capital: 19.1%
  investment in inventories: -0.8%
  exports of goods and services: 9.1%
  imports of goods and services: -12.6%
  (2014 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 29.2%
  industry: 20.4%
  services: 50.4% (2014 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), mangoes, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame seeds; sheep and other 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:
  6.7% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Labor force:
  11.92 million (2007 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 80%
  industry: 7%
  services: 13% (1998 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  13.6% (2014 est.)
  14.8% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 144
  Population below poverty line:
  46.5% (2009 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 2.7%
  highest 10%: 26.7% (2009 est.)
  Budget:
  revenues: $6.548 billion
  expenditures: $9 billion (2014 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  8.8% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 210
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -3.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 132
  Public debt:
  73.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
  78.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 35
  Fiscal year:
  calendar year
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  36.9% (2014 est.)
  36.5% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 223
  Stock of narrow money:
  $8.024 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $7.06 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Stock of broad money:
  $13 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $11.66 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 98
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $14.83 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $13.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 91
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $NA
  Current account balance:
  -$5.739 billion (2014 est.)
  -$5.909 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 171
  Exports:
  $4.35 billion (2014 est.)
  $4.79 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 117
  Exports - commodities:
  gold; oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, peanuts, gum arabic, sugar
  Exports - partners:
  Macau 30.2%, UAE 30.2%, Saudi Arabia 14.6%, Egypt 4.9% (2014)
  Imports:
  $8.106 billion (2014 est.)
  $8.728 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  Imports - commodities:
  foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines, chemicals, textiles, wheat
  Imports - partners:
  Macau 20.1%, UAE 10.2%, India 8%, Malaysia 7.4%, Egypt 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.5% (2014)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $172.4 million (31 December 2015 est.)
  $181.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 161
  Debt - external:
  $48.17 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $45.56 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 65
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $22.69 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $21.42 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 74
  Exchange rates:
  Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar -
  5.74 (2014 est.)
  5.74 (2013 est.)
  3.57 (2012 est.)
  2.68 (2011 est.)
  2.31 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: SUDAN

- Electricity - production:
  7.193 billion kWh (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 109
  Electricity - consumption:
  5.665 billion kWh (2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 199
  Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 205
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  2.083 million kW (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  30.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 180
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 184
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  66.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 31
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 72
  Crude oil - production:
  64,770 bbl/day (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 53
  Crude oil - exports:
  5,355 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 71
  Crude oil - imports:
  0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 128
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  1.25 billion bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  124,900 bbl/day (2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 68
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  26,750 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 118
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  1,496 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 109
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  6,199 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 151
  Natural gas - production:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 131
  Natural gas - consumption:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 196
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 183
  Natural gas - imports:
  0 cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 136
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  21.24 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 75
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  16.45 million Mt (2011 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 87

- ## Communications :: SUDAN

- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 420,000
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 102
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total: 27.8 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 78 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Telephone system:
  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
  domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, fiber optic, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
  international: country code - 249; linked to the EASSy and FLAG fiber-optic submarine cable systems; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2010)
  Broadcast media:
  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 (2007)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
  Television broadcast stations:
  3 (1997)
  Internet country code:
  .sd
  Internet users:
  total: 8.5 million
  percent of population: 24.0% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 48

- ## Transportation :: SUDAN

- Airports:
  74 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 71
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 16
  over 3,047 m: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  under 914 m: 2 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 58
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
  914 to 1,523 m: 28
  under 914 m:
  12 (2013)
  Heliports:
  6 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2013)
  Railways:
  total: 7,251 km
  narrow gauge: 5,851 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (20014)
  country comparison to the world: 30
  Roadways:
  total: 11,900 km
  paved: 4,320 km
  unpaved: 7,580 km (2000)
  country comparison to the world: 128
  Waterways:
  4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile Rivers) (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 24
  Merchant marine:
  total: 2
  by type: cargo 2 (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 143
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Port Sudan

- ## Military :: SUDAN

- Military branches:
  Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy (includes Marines), Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya as-Sudaniya), Popular Defense Forces (2011)
  Military service age and obligation:
  18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory or voluntary military service; 1-2 year service obligation; a requirement that completion of national service was mandatory before entering public or private sector employment has been cancelled (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 10,433,973
  females age 16-49: 10,411,443 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 6,475,530
  females age 16-49: 6,840,885 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 532,030
  female: 512,476 (2010 est.)

- ## Transnational Issues :: SUDAN

- 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; Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence; as of mid-2013, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan provided shelter for more than 600,000 Sudanese refugees; during the same period, Sudan, in turn, hosted about 115,000 Eritreans, 32,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians and Central Africans; 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; Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of the 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; South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment, final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan
  Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 109,196 (Eritrea); 42,334 (Chad); 5,495 (Ethiopia) (2014); 5,540 (Yemen) (2015); 194,888 (South Sudan) (2016)
  IDPs: 3.1 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region; government and rebel fighting along South Sudan border; inter-tribal clashes) (2015)
  Trafficking in persons:
  current situation: Sudan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Sudanese women and girls, particularly those from rural areas or who are internally displaced, are vulnerable to forced labor as domestic workers in homes throughout the country; Sudanese women and girls are subjected to domestic servitude in Middle Eastern countries and to forced sex trafficking in Europe; some Sudanese men who voluntarily migrate to the Middle East as low-skilled laborers face conditions indicative of forced labor; Sudanese children in Darfur are forcibly conscripted, at times through abduction, and used by armed groups and government security forces, while Sudanese children in Saudi Arabia are used in forced begging and street vending; Sudan is a transit and destination country for Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Filipina women subjected to domestic servitude in Sudan and Middle Eastern countries, as well as a destination country for women sex trafficked from East African countries and possibly Thailand
  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; in 2013, the government enacted an anti-trafficking law, raised the age of military recruitment to 18, rescued and assisted an increased number of trafficking victims, and made efforts to bring traffickers to justice; however, its law enforcement, protection, or prevention measures to address human trafficking remained ad hoc; the government did not employ a system for proactively identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable population or a referral process for transferring victims to organizations providing care; in 2013, Sudan’s armed forces and proxy militia continued to recruit child soldiers and did not conclude a proposed joint action plan with the UN to address the issue (2014)

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