Sudan

militaryIndependence 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK

Sudan as the 1992 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

28.31 million July 1992 · 24.97m in 1990

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

6.3 children per woman 1992 · 6.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

83 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 107 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

2,505,810km2

Comparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Coastline

853km

Contiguous zone: 18 nmContinental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationTerritorial 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

administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary;
administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary

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

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

Land use

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

Environment

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

People

14 fields

Population

28,305,046

(July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

44Death

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

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

Literacy

27%

(male 43%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Sudanese (singular and plural); adjective - Sudanese

Languages

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;
agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%;
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

18 fields

Type

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

Administrative divisions

9 states (wilayat, singular - wilayat or wilayah*);
A'ali an Nil, Al Wusta*, Al Istiwa'iyah*, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah*, Ash Sharqiyah*, 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;
as of 20 January 1991, the Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the six northern states of Al Wusta, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah, Ash Sharqiyah, Darfur, and Kurdufan;
the council is still studying criminal provisions under Islamic law;
Islamic law will apply to all residents of the six northern states regardless of their religion;
some separate religious courts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Executive branch

executive and legislative authority vested in a 12-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

Legislative branch

appointed 300-member Transitional National Assembly;
note - as announced 1 January 1992 by RCC Chairman BASHIR, the Assembly assumes all legislative authority for Sudan until the eventual, unspecified resumption of national elections

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts

Chief of State and Head of Government: Revolutionary Command Council Chairman and Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989); Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH Ahmed (since 9 July 1989)

Political parties and leaders

none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Suffrage

none

Elections

none

Member of

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, 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 R. CHEEK (will be replaced summer of 1992);
Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO AE 09829);
telephone 74700 or 74611;
Telex 22619

Flag

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

Economy

Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse | weather, high inflation, and counterproductive economic policies.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

95%

(FY91 est.)

Unemployment rate

15%

(FY91 est.)

External debt

$14.6billion

(June 1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.3 billionExpenditures

$2.1 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $505 million (FY91 est.)

Overview

Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, high inflation, 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. Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable largely to declining annual rainfall, has reduced levels of per capita income and consumption. A high foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause difficulties.

In 1990 the International Monetary Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative because of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund. Despite subsequent government efforts to implement reforms urged by the IMF and the World Bank, the economy remained stagnant in FY91 as entrepreneurs lack the incentive to take economic risks.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $12.1 billion, per capita $450; real growth rate 0% (FY91 est.)

Exports

$325 million (f.o.b., FY91 est.)

commodities:: cotton 52%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts
partners:: Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)

Imports

$1.40 billion (c.i.f., FY91 est.)

commodities:: foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles
partners:: Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for 11% of GDP (FY89)

Electricity

610,000 kW capacity; 905 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 35% of GDP and 80% of labor force;
water shortages;
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

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.5 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.1 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $588 million

Currency

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

Exchange rates

official rate - Sudanese pounds (#Sd) per US$1 - 90.1 (March 1992), 5.4288 (1991), 4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987);
note - free market rate 83 (December 1991)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 5 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 3roll-on/roll-off cargo 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,277 GRT/59,588 DWT

Airports, 72 total, 57 usable

permanent-surface runways

8runways | over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

5runways 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 by modern standards;
consists of microwave, cable, radio communications, and troposcatter;
domestic satellite system with 14 stations;
broadcast stations - 11 AM, 3 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT