Sudan

militaryIndependence 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK

Sudan as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKhartoum

Area2,505,810 km2

Populationas each edition published it

24.97 million July 1990 · 50.47m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.38% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 53.85 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.5 children per woman 1990 · 4.41 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

107 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 39.7 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $184 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 9% in 1993

Geography

14 fields

Land useshare of 2,505,810 km2

arable land 5%meadows and pastures 24%forest and woodland 20%other 51%NEGL% permanent crops; includes 1% irrigated

Total area

2,505,810km2

land area: 2,376,000 km2Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US

Coastline

853km

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

7,697km total

Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km

Disputes

international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Kenya; international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Egypt

Climate

tropical in south;
arid desert in north;
rainy season (April to October)

Terrain

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west

Natural resources

modest reserves of crude oil, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, crude oil

Environment

dominated by the Nile and its tributaries;
dust storms;
desertification

People

14 fields

Population

24,971,806

(July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

44Death

Ethnic divisions

black 52%Arab 39%Beja 6%foreigners 2%other 1%

Religion

Sunni Muslim (in north) 70%indigenous beliefs 20%Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) 5%

Literacy

31%

(1986)

Nationality

noun--Sudanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Sudanese

Language

Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Sudanic languages, English; program of Arabization in process

Labor force

6,500,000;
80% agriculture, 10% industry and commerce, 6% government;
labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.);
52% of population of working age (1985)

Organized labor

trade unions suspended following 30 June 1989 coup; now in process of being legalized anew

Government

Military

17 fields

Type

military; civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 June 1989 coup

Administrative divisions

9 regions (aqalim, singular--iqlim); Aali an Nil, Al Awsat, Al Istiwai, Al Khartum, Ash Shamali, Ash Sharqi, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan

Independence

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK; formerly Anglo-Egyptian Sudan)

Constitution

12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989

Legal system

based on English common law and Islamic law;
in September 1983 then President Nimeiri declared the penal code would conform to Islamic law;
some separate religious courts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Executive branch

executive and legislative authority vested in a 15-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC);
chairman of the RCC acts as prime minister;
in July 1989 RCC appointed a predominately civilian 22-member cabinet to function as advisers

Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts Chief of State and Head of Government--Revolutionary Command Council Chairman and Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989); Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister Brig. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 9 July 1989)

Political parties and leaders

none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Suffrage

none

Elections

none

Member of

ACP, AfDB, APC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH;
Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 338-8565 through 8570;
there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador James CHEEK;
Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668);
telephone 74700 or 75680, 74611

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and counterproductive economic policies.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$8.5billion

per capita $340 (FY87); real growth rate 7.0% (FY89 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

70%

(FY89)

External debt

$11.6billion

(December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$514 millionExpenditures

$1.3 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.)

Overview

Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980.

The economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. A high foreign debt and arrearages of about $13 billion continue to cause difficulties. Since 1979 the International Monetary Fund has provided assistance and has forced Sudan to make economic reforms aimed at improving the performance of the economy.

Unemployment rate

Exports

$550 million (f.o.b., FY89 est.);
commodities--cotton 43%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts;
partners--Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)

Imports

$1.2 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.);
commodities--petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals;
partners--Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)

Industrial production

growth rate - 1.7% (FY89 est.)

Electricity

606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining

Agriculture

accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force;
untapped potential for higher farm production;
two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and livestock;
major products--cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sheep;
marginally self-sufficient in most foods

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.4 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion;
Communist countries (1970-88), $588 million

Currency

Sudanese pound (plural--pounds); 1 Sudanese pound (LSd) = 100 piasters

Exchange rates

official rate--Sudanese pounds (LSd) per US$1--4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987), 2.5000 (1986), 2.2883 (1985);
note--commercial exchange rate is set daily, 12.2 (March 1990)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 10 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 8roll-on/roll-off cargo 210 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 91,107 GRT/122,222 DWT

Airports, 78 total, 68 usable

permanent-surface runways

8runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

4runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

20,000Railroads

5,500Inland waterways

5,310

Highways: ; 1,600 km bituminous treated, 3,700 km gravel, 2,301 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track · Railroads: ; 4,784 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line

large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained;
consists of radio relay, cables, radio communications, and troposcatter;
domestic satellite system with 14 stations;
73,400 telephones;
stations--4 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV;
satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

5,621,469fit for military service

3,437,004reach military age (18) annually

273,011

Defense expenditures

7.2%of GDP

or $610 million (1989 est)

Branches