Sudan

Republic of the SudanJumhuriyat as-Sudan

military civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 JuneIndependence 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Sudan as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 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

LocationNorthern Africa, along the Red Sea, between Egypt and Ethiopia

Populationas each edition published it

28.73 million July 1993 est. · 24.97m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.38% 1993 est. · 2.54% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

53.85 years 1993 est. · 67.8 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.19 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

81.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$184 $1,900 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

9% -13.5% in 2025

Geography

Northern Africa, along the Red Sea, between Egypt and Ethiopia

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Land useshare of 2,505,810 km2

arable land 5%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 24%forest and woodland 20%other 51%irrigated 18,900 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

2,505,810km2

land area: 2.376 million km2comparative 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

Location

Northern Africa, along the Red Sea, between Egypt and Ethiopia

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary;
administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary creating the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 km2, the dispute over this area escalated in 1993

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 petroleum, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver

Environment

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

People

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Population

28,730,381

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 2.38% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

42.65Death

12.45Net migration

-6.4

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years53.85

53 · 54.73

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy27%

43% · 12%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

Sunni Muslim 70% (in north)indigenous beliefs 25%Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Labor force

6.5million

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

Infant mortality rate

81.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective:: Sudanese

Languages

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

Government

Military civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 June

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Names

conventional long form:: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form:: Sudan
local long form:: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
local short form:: As-Sudan
former:: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

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*,,

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

Political parties and leaders

none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Other political or pressure groups

National Islamic Front, Hasan al-TURABI

Executive branch

executive and legislative authority vested in a 10-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

note: Lt. Gen. BASHIR's military government is dominated by members of Sudan's National Islamic Front, a fundamentalist political organization formed from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986;

front leader Hasan al-TURABI controls Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies

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)

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 in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador 'Abdalla Ahmad 'ABDALLA
chancery:: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 338-8565 through 8570
consulate general:: New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Donald K. PETTERSON
embassy:: Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum
mailing address:: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO AE 09829
telephone:: 74700 or 74611
FAX:: 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, a drop in remittances from abroad, and | counterproductive economic policies.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$184

(FY92 est.)

Real growth rate

(FY92 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4.8%; accounts for 11% of GDP (FY92)

Inflation, consumer prices

150%

(FY92 est.)

Unemployment rate

30%

(FY92 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, a drop in remittances from abroad, 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 large 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. Growth in 1992 was featured by the recovery of agricultural production in northern Sudan after two years of drought.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5.2 billion (FY92 est.)

Exports

$315 million (f.o.b., FY92 est.)

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

Imports

$1.3 billion (c.i.f., FY92 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)

External debt

$15 billion (June 1992 est.)

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

1 Sudanese pound (#Sd) = 100 piasters

Exchange rates

official rate - Sudanese pounds (#Sd) per US$1 - 124 (January 1993), 90.1 (March 1992), 5.4288 (1991), 4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987);
note - free market rate 155 (January 1993)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 5 ships by typeone square, one ship

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

Networkskm

Highways

20,703Railroads

5,516Inland waterways

5,310

Highways: ; 2,000 km bituminous treated, 4,000 km gravel, 2,304 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track · Railroads: ; 4,800 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line

total:: 68
usable:: 56
with permanent-surface runways:: 10
with runways over 3,659 m:: 0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 30

Telecommunications

large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards;
consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radio communications, troposcatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 stations;
broadcast stations - 11 AM, 3 TV;
satellite earth stations for international traffic - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT