South Sudan

• hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone;
• rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north

• plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya;
• the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country;
• The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country

• landlocked;
• The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile;
• its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season;
• it is one of the world's largest wetlands

noun:

South Sudanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

South Sudanese

total:

18.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

18.7 years

female:

18.7 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.22 male(s)/female

total population:

1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

60.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

65.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

54.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

60.3 years (2024 est.)

male:

58.4 years

female:

62.2 years

• water pollution;
• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• wildlife conservation and loss of biodiversity;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• periodic drought

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone;
• rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north

urban population:

21.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

widespread lack of access:

• due to economic downturn, the lingering effects of floods, and prolonged internal conflict - despite sustained humanitarian assistance, food insecurity still affects large segments of the population, owing to rampant inflation and insufficient food supplies due to stagnant agricultural production, the effects of consecutive years with widespread floods, and the escalation of organized violence at the sub-national level since 2020;
• about 7.76 million people, almost two thirds of the total population, are expected to face severe acute food insecurity in the lean season between April and July 2023;
• the high levels of cereal prices are mainly due to insufficient supplies, low foreign currency reserves, a weak national currency and high fuel prices;
• further upward pressure was exerted by reduced imports from neighboring Uganda, where exportable surpluses shrunk in 2022 following a reduced cereal production (2023)

particulate matter emissions:

20.18 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

1.73 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

7.61 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

190 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

240 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of South Sudan

conventional short form:

South Sudan

etymology:

• self-descriptive name from the country's former position within Sudan prior to independence;
• the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the Black [peoples]"

name:

Juba

geographic coordinates:

04 51 N, 31 37 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the name derives from Djouba, another name for the Bari people of South Sudan

• 10 states;
• Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria;
• note - in 2015, the creation of 28 new states was announced and in 2017 four additional states;
• following the February 2020 peace agreement, the country was again reorganized into the 10 original states, plus 2 administrative areas, Pibor and Ruweng, and 1 special administrative status area, Abyei (which is disputed between South Sudan and Sudan);
• this latest administrative revision has not yet been vetted by the US Board on Geographic Names

history:

• previous 2005 (preindependence);
• latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011);
• note - new constitution pending establishment under the 2018 peace agreement

amendments:

• proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic;
• passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president;
• amended 2013, 2015, 2018

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of South Sudan

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)

head of government:

President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011)

cabinet:

National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 11 to 15 April 2010 (originally scheduled for 2015 but postponed several times, currently to be held in December 2024)

election results:

2010: Salva KIIR Mayardit elected leader of then-Southern Sudan; percent of vote - Salva KIIR Mayardit (SPLM) 93%, Lam AKOL (SPLM-DC) 7%

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

• Democratic Change or DC
• Democratic Forum or DF
• Labour Party or LPSS
• South Sudan Opposition Alliance or SSOA
• Sudan African National Union or SANU
• Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM
• Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition or SPLM-IO
• United Democratic Salvation Front or UDSF
• United South Sudan African Party or USSAP
• United South Sudan Party or USSP

chief of mission:

Ambassador Santino Fardol Watod DICKEN (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

1015 31st Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 600-2238

FAX:

[1] (202) 644-9910

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.ssembassydc.org/

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael J. ADLER (since 24 August 2022)

embassy:

Kololo Road adjacent to the EU's compound, Juba

mailing address:

4420 Juba Place, Washington DC 20521-4420

telephone:

[211] 912-105-188

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ss.usembassy.gov/

• three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green;
• the red band is edged in white;
• a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side contains a gold, five-pointed star;
• black represents the people of South Sudan, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green the verdant land, and blue the waters of the Nile;
• the gold star represents the unity of the states making up South Sudan

note: resembles the flag of Kenya; one of only two national flags to display six colors as part of its primary design, the other is South Africa's

name:

"South Sudan Oyee!" (Hooray!)

lyrics/music:

collective of 49 poets/Juba University students and teachers

note: adopted 2011; anthem selected in a national contest

• low-income, oil-based Sahelian economy;
• extreme poverty and food insecurity;
• COVID-19 and ongoing violence threaten socioeconomic potential;
• environmentally fragile;
• ongoing land and property rights issues;
• natural resource rich but lacks infrastructure

total:

18.3% (2023 est.)

male:

19.4% (2023 est.)

female:

17.2% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

1.7% (2016 est.)

highest 10%:

33.1% (2016 est.)

total petroleum production:

146,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

14,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

3.75 billion barrels (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• following a referendum, oil-rich South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 and became an independent nation;
• having been deprived of investment for decades, it inherited one of the least developed telecom markets in the world;
• there was once investment activity among mobile network operators who sought to expand their networks in some areas of the country;
• operators in the telecom sector placed themselves in survival mode and are hoping for a political settlement and a return to some degree of social stability;
• South Sudan has one of the lowest mobile penetration rates in Africa;
• growth in the sector in coming years is premised on a resolution to the political crisis and a recovery of the country’s economy;
• the virtually untapped internet and broadband market also depends to a large extent on the country gaining access to international fiber cables and on a national backbone network being in place;
• sophisticated infrastructure solutions are needed to reach the 80% of the population that live outside of the main urban centers;
• some improvement has followed from the cable link in February 2020 which connects Juba directly to the company’s submarine landing station at Mombasa;
• the cable was South Sudan’s first direct international fiber link, and has helped drive down the price of retail internet services for residential and business customers;
• a second cable linking to the border with Kenya was completed in December 2021 (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line less than 1 per 100 subscriptions, mobile-cellular is 30 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

country code - 211 (2017)

• a single TV channel and a radio station are controlled by the government;
• several community and commercial FM stations are operational, mostly sponsored by outside aid donors;
• some foreign radio broadcasts are available (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km

total:

90,200 km

paved:

300 km

unpaved:

89,900 km (2015)

note: most of the road network is unpaved and much of it is in disrepair; the Juba-Nimule highway connecting Juba to the border with Uganda is the main paved road in South Sudan

• South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF):
  • Land Forces (includes Presidential Guard),
  • Air Forces,
  • Marines (Riverine Forces),
  • Reserve Forces
  ;
• National (or Necessary) Unified Forces (NUF)

Ministry of Interior:

South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) (2024)

note 1: the NUF are being formed by retraining rebel and pro-government militia fighters into military, police, and other government security forces; the first operational NUF deployed in November 2023

note 2: numerous irregular forces operate in the country with official knowledge, including militias operated by the National Security Service (an internal security force under the Ministry of National Security) and proxy forces

tier rating:

• Tier 3 — South Sudan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, South Sudan remains on Tier 3;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/south-sudan/