General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
2,376,000 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
7,687 km |
|
Coastline: |
853 km |
|
Capital: |
Khartoum |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Port Sudan,
Omdurman,
Khartoum North |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Sudanese Dinar (SDD) |
|
National Day: |
January 1 |
Location and
Geography
Sudan is the largest
country in Africa.
It is bordered by
Egypt and Libya in
the North, Chad and
Central African
Republic in the West
and South-west,
Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Uganda
and Kenya in the
South, and Ethiopia
and Eritrea in the
East. The country is
located in an
immense basin
sloping gently down
towards the North
plateau and
mountains, while the
North-eastern part
is characterised by
mountains and hills
sloping towards the
Red Sea coast. The
principal physical
feature of Sudan is
the river Nile and
its tributaries. The
Nile system runs
through from South
to North. The huge
water flow of the
river Nile comes
from the Blue Nile,
Sobat and Atbora
rivers, while the
White Nile
contributes only
about thirty percent
of its annual flow
because it loses a
large amount of its
water due to
evaporation. Meadows
and pastures take up
a quarter of the
land area and
forests and
woodlands about one
fifth. Sudan is a
hot country. The
central region has
the highest mean
annual temperatures
of the world. The
North of the country
is arid and
semiarid.
Demography
|
Population:
|
32.77 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
33 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
10 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
64 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 57 years,
Female: 60 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
38.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
50.00 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Sudan is primarily
an agricultural and
pastoral country
with the majority of
the population
engaged in
agriculture and
livestock
activities. The main
crops raised are
cotton, groundnuts,
sesame, sugarcane,
coffee, gum arabic,
and dates. Fruits
and vegetables are
grown for local
consumption. The
manufacturing sector
remains relatively
small. The
industrial base is
dominated by food
processing,
beverages and
tobacco products.
Sudan’s main natural
resources are crude
oil, iron ore,
copper, chromium
ore, zinc, tungsten,
mica, and silver.
Cotton production
and mining have
gained importance in
recent years.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
12525 million
US$ (2001) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
393 US$ (2001) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
39.0%
Agriculture,
18.0% Industry,
43.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
1902 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
2177 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Cotton,
groundnuts,
sorghum, millet,
wheat, gum
arabic, hides,
sesame and live
animals |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Foodstuffs,
petroleum
products,
manufactured
goods, machinery
and
transportation
equipment |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Saudi Arabia,
UK, China,
Germany and
Italy |
|
