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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. |
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Location:
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Northern
Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
2,505,810 sq km
water: 129,810 sq km
land: 2.376 million sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than one-quarter the size of the US |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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853
km |
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Climate:
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tropical
in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region
(April to November) |
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Terrain:
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generally
flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and
west; desert dominates the north |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum;
small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc,
tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 7.03%
permanent crops: 0.08%
other: 92.89% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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19,500
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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dust
storms and periodic persistent droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate
supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by
excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic
drought |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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largest
country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries |
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Population:
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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.) |
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Median age:
|
total:
17.9 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.1 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.64% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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35.79
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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9.37 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
|
-0.02 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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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 |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 58.13 years
male: 56.96 years
female: 59.36 years (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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2.6% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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450,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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23,000 (2001
est.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun:
Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sudanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 52%, Arab
39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim
70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly
in south and Khartoum) |
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Languages:
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Arabic
(official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic,
Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.1%
male: 71.8%
female: 50.5% (2003 est.) |
|
Country name:
|
conventional
long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan
local short form: As-Sudan
former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan |
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Government type:
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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 |
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Capital:
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Khartoum |
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Administrative divisions:
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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:
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1 January 1956
(from Egypt and UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
1 January (1956) |
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Constitution:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of
state: President Lt. Gen. 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
head of government: President Lt. Gen. 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
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next
to be held NA)
note: Lt. Gen. al-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
election results: Lt. Gen. 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 |
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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)
election results: NCP 355, others 5
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be
held NA December 2004) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court;
Special Revolutionary Courts |
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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:
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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] |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad
Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 6.1% in 2003. 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, adverse
weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much
of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for
years. |
|
GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $70.75 billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
6.1%
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing
power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
39%
industry: 18%
services: 43% (2002 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA%
(1990-91) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
8.8%
(2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
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11
million (1996 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
80%, industry and commerce 7%, government 13% (1998 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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18.7%
(2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$1.4 billion
expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $304 million (2001 est.) |
|
Industries:
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oil,
cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap
distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals,
armaments, automobile/light truck assembly |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
8.5%
(1999 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
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2.389
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 52.1%
hydro: 47.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
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2.222
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
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209,100
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
50,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
99.11
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
cotton,
groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic,
sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet
potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock |
|
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
53.3%, Japan 13.4%, South Africa 4.9%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%
(2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$2.383
billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs,
manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment,
medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat |
|
Imports - partners:
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China
20.1%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, India 5.6%, UK 5.4%, Germany 5.4%,
Indonesia 4.7%, Australia 4% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$20.9
billion (yearend 2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
|
$172
million (2001) |
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Currency:
|
Sudanese
dinar (SDD) |
|
Currency code:
|
SDD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Sudanese
dinars per US dollar - 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002), 258.7
(2001), 257.12 (2000), 252.55 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
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671,800 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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190,800 (2002) |
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 12, FM 1,
shortwave 1 (1998) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
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3 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.sd |
|
Internet hosts:
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NA |
|
Internet users:
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84,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
|
total:
5,978 km
narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m
gauge plantation line (2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
11,900 km
paved: 4,320 km
unpaved: 7,580 km (1999 est.) |
|
Waterways:
|
5,310 km |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 156 km; oil
2,297 km; refined products 810 km (2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Juba, Khartoum,
Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin |
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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 (2003 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 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 51
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 10 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 |
|
Heliports:
|
2 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Sudanese People's
Armed Forces (SPAF), Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
|
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.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$581 million
(2001 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
2.5% (1999) |
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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