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Sudan is an East African country. Crossed by the Nile
River, it covers an area of 2 505 810 km2,
being the largest African state, with more than 8% of
the continent's territory. It is bathed by the Red Sea
in the northeast and borders Eritrea in the northeast,
Ethiopia in the east, Kenya in the southeast, Uganda and
the Democratic Republic of Congo in the south, the
Central African Republic, southwest, Chad to the west,
Libya to the northwest, and Egypt to the north. It has a
desert area, which is no more than the Sahara desert, in
the North and West, occupying about 30% of the country's
total area. The main cities are Omdurman, the
legislative capital, with 2,221,500 inhabitants (2004),
Khartoum, the executive capital, with 1,452,600
inhabitants, Khartoum North (1,452,600 inhabitants),
Port Sudan (468,000 inhabitants), Nyala (395 400 inhab.)
And Kassala (348 600 inhab.). From north to south, the
climate becomes less arid. In the south of the country,
where the relief is higher, the rainy season is longer,
allowing the formation of savannas and agricultural
practice.
Economy
The main agricultural products are sugar cane, sorghum,
cotton, dates, peanuts, sesame seeds, arabic gum and
wheat. The industry is limited to the processing of
agricultural raw materials. Sudan's main trading
partners are Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Italy and
China.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita, has not been attributed.
Population
In 2006, the country had a population of 41 236 378
inhabitants, which corresponds to a population density
of 16.04 inhab./km2. The birth and death
rates are respectively 34.53% and 8.97%. Average life
expectancy is 58.92 years. The value of the Human
Development Index (HDI) is 0.503 and the value of the
Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.483
(2001). It is estimated that, by 2025, the population
will be 61 339 000 inhabitants.
Sudan occupies much of the upper Nile basin, from the
foothills of the East African Highlands to the
Sahara. It is a huge country that exhibits ethnic and
cultural influences from neighboring countries. In the
North, the populations are Arab and Muslim. In the
South, black Africans predominate, some Christians but
mostly pagans who retain their tribal dialects. Southern
tribes include the Dinkas, the Nuers (one of the tallest
peoples in the world, measuring many men over 2 meters
tall), the Shilluks, the Baris and the Azandes. In the
population as a whole, the main ethnic groups are
Sudanese Arabs (49%), Dinkas (12%), Nubians (8%), Bejas
(6%), Nuers (5%) and Azandes (3 %). The predominant
religion is Sunni Islam (72%), followed by traditional
beliefs (17%) and Christianity (11%).
History
In antiquity, two civilizations flourished in this
territory: Nubia and Kush. In the 6th century, three
Sudanese kingdoms were converted to Christianity and
until the 14th century were bastions against the advance
of Islam. In 1821 the armies sent by Muhammad Ali, from
Egypt, occupied much of the northern region and
developed the ivory and slave trade. Later, Ismail Pasha
tried to extend Egypt's influence to the south and
appointed English general Gordon governor-general of
Sudan. In 1881 Mahdi Muhammad Ahmed led a revolution
aimed at reforming Islam and expelling all foreigners
from Sudan. Mahdi's successor was defeated by an
Anglo-Egyptian army. In 1956 the civil war broke out and
a year later Sudan became independent. The following
years would be of political instability. A multiparty
democracy regime was followed by a military coup in 1958
and a return to civilian rule in 1964. In 1969 Colonel
Nimeiri led a second coup and, three years later, ended
the civil war, which had lasted for 16 years. years. At
stake were the secular rivalries between the North, of
Muslim religion, and the South, of Christian and
animistic tradition of African expression.
Nimeiri formed a left-wing government and in 1973
proclaimed Sudan a one-party state. He expelled Soviet
military advisers in 1977 and sought help in the
West. This new political orientation allowed
negotiations with Ethiopia, which resulted in an
agreement with Addis-Ababa and the increase in the
popularity of General Nimeiri. In the 1980s, Sudan
received foreign aid in excess of $ 700 million, more
than any other African country.
The country was to be plagued by drought, which left
vast areas deserted. The situation was complicated by
the arrival of a million refugees, almost all of whom
came from Ethiopia, where they were victims of hunger
and war.
The Sudanese economy has only remained at the expense
of subsidies from the rich Arab countries, the European
Union and the United States. In 1983, Nimeiri tried to
consolidate his support base among Islamic
fundamentalists by introducing Sharia law, with severe
punishments in the form of floggings, mutilations and
hangings. This policy sparked uprisings in southern
Sudan among non-Muslims. The Sudanese people's
liberation army sank a boat in the Nile, causing
hundreds of deaths and blocking river traffic, attacking
foreign facilities and undermining roads and railways.
The first democratic elections were held in 1986 and
put a coalition of northern parties in power that tried
to negotiate with the South, but was faced with serious
political and economic problems.
The Sudanese population has endured a disastrous
economic management in the country, where food shortages
continue to worsen, as well as a climate of constant
tension and political instability. 20% of GDP is spent
on war spending and, in 1995, inflation was 85%.
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