15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 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: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005)

Irrigated land:

18,630 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

154 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 37.32 cu km/yr (3%/1%/97%) per capita: 1,030 cu m/yr (2000)

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:

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

People
Sudan

Population:

40,218,456 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.1% (male 8,451,576/female 8,093,609) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 11,407,233/female 11,275,685) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 518,822/female 471,530) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.134% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

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: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 86.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 87.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 86.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 50.28 years male: 49.38 years female: 51.23 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

400,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

23,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis 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 (2008)

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), Christian 5% (mostly in south and
Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%

Languages:

Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages 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.)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (1991)

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:

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 in 2009

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:

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)

Independence:

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Constitution:

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

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

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

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 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) 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 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 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 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

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; members presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2009) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

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

Political parties and leaders:

National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; 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]; note - all political parties listed above in the Government of National Unity

Political pressure groups and leaders:

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

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, ITSO, ITU, LAS,
MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Akec KHOC Aciew Khoc chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 338-8565 FAX: (202) 667-2406

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. FERNANDEZ embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: (183) 774701/2/3 FAX: (183) 774137

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's economy is booming on the back of increases in oil production, high oil prices, and large inflows of foreign direct investment. GDP growth registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and 2007. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been working with the IMF to implement macroeconomic reforms, including a managed float of the exchange rate. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter of 1999. Agricultural production remains important, because it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of GDP. 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 despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January 2007, the government introduced a new currency, the Sudanese Pound, at an initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$80.98 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$46.16 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 32% industry: 32.8% services: 35.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.415 million (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:

18.7% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

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

Investment (gross fixed):

19% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $9.201 billion expenditures: $10.62 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

105.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8% (2007 est.)

Stock of money:

$5.549 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.068 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.659 billion (31 December 2007)

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:

22% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.037 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.398 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 52.1% hydro: 47.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

466,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

79,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

282,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

7,558 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$3.447 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.879 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Exports - partners:

China 82.1%, Japan 8.4%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Imports:

$7.722 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

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

Imports - partners:

China 27.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, India 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, UAE 5.5%,
Japan 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.829 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.378 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$29.42 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: