Surface: 2.505.813 km²
Population: 25.941.000 inhabitants
Density of population: 10 inhabitants/km²
Capital: Khartoum
Official language: Arabian
Official currency: Sudan lira
Imported products: car pieces, medicine, chemical products, petroleum products
Exported products: cotton, Arabian gum, animals
Brut Intern Product: 10.000.000.000 $
State type: Republic
Population and Cities
The Arabian and Nubian people are in the north of the country and the Nilotic and Sudan in the south. In Sudan are over 1 million refugees and most of them are Moslems. Big regions are uninhabited because most of the people live in Nile's Valley and in regional capitals. The big Khartoum (1.343.651 inhabitants) is in fact formed of three cities: Khartoum, Omdurman and North Khartoum. Khartou
m means trunk, because of the weird form of the old city. Omdurman is a commercial center. Over the river, in the north of the city is the industrial city North Khartoum.
Geographical Characteristics
Sudan is the biggest country in Africa. It has only 640 km of seaside to the Red Sea. The north of the country is a desert plateau. The south of the plateau has a height of 3.071 m in Jebel Gimbala Peak in the Darfur Mountain. Other mountainous zones are Red Sea Mountains and Imatong Mountains in the south. The highest point in the southern region is Mount Kinyeti (3.187 m). The White Nile crosses Uganda from the south border with Uganda to the north boarder with Egypt. In Khartoum the White Nile unites with the Blue Nile from the Tana Lake, Ethiopia. Sudd is one of the world's largest marshes and is produced by the flood of White Nile.
Climate
The northern Sudan is part of Sahara Desert, but in the south the amount of rainfall is between 15 and 100 cm per year. In north the rains are rare and irregularly. The rainy season in the middle of the country lasts 2-3 months, but in the south lasts 6-8 months. Between April and October is the wettest period. The north-eastern winds blow all year long in the north and are replaced in the south by south-western winds in the rainy season. The temperatures are lower when it rains. Juba, in south, has a medium temperature of 28°C in January and 25°C in July. The total amount of rainfall is 95 cm, mostly between March and October. The numbers for Khartoum are: 23°C, 34°C and 15 cm.
Agriculture
Over 50% of the population works in the agriculture, although only 5% of the surface is cultivated and 24% is grassland. Cotton is the most important plant for exports. The second important plant is sugar cane and other cultivated plants are: grain, sesame, nuts, bean, rice, oranges, mango, tea, coffee and dates. Animals are important too. They grow: 20 million cows, 19 million sheep, 14 million coats and 32 million house birds. Fishing along the Red Sea coast is another source of food.
Industry
Sudan is an agricultural country and industry takes care of processing local products. The most important industries are: cotton, oil, sugar, soap, shoes, textile and powder. There are also cement and petroleum industries. Because they don't have money the industries didn't develop.
Mining
There were located many deposits of iron, but few were exploited. Iron is extracted in Red Sea Mountains and deposits of magnetite are in Ingessana Mountains. The salted depressions along the Red Sea coast satisfy the internal needs and offer products for exports. Almost 150.000 tones of petrol are produced annually. 51% of the electric energy comes from thermo-electric power stations and 49% from the hydro-electric stations.
Transport
The system of transport is low developed. Sudan has 4.874 km of railway which leads Khartoum to El Obeid, Wadi Halfa, Port Sudan and the south-west of the country. The roads are 53.190 km. the Nile can be used all year long for traffic. The main ports are: Port Sudan and Suakin.
Surface: 2.505.813 km²