Sudan

Republic of the SudanJumhuriyat as-Sudan

transitional-previously ruling military juntaIndependence 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Sudan as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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

Position15 00 N, 30 00 E

Area2,505,810 sq km

LocationNorthern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and

Populationas each edition published it

33.55 million July 1998 est. · 24.97m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.73% 1998 est. · 2.38% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

55.97 years 1998 est. · 53.85 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.68 children per woman 1998 est. · 6.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

72.64 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$875 1997 est. · $184 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5% 1997 est. · 9% in 1993

Geography

Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and | Eritrea

18 fields

Land useshare of 2,505,810 sq km

arable land 5%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 46%forests and woodland 19%other 30% (1993 est.)irrigated 19,460 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

2,505,810sq km

land: 2.376 million sq kmwater: 129,810 sq kmslightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Coastline

853km

contiguous zone: 18 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

3,187m

Kinyetilowest point: Red Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

7,687km

border countries:: Central African Republic 1,165 km,
Chad 1,360 km,
Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km,
Egypt 1,273 km,
Eritrea 605 km,
Ethiopia 1,606 km,
Kenya 232 km,
Libya 383 km,
Uganda 435 km

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

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

petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold

Environment-current issues

inadequate supplies of potable water;
wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting;
soil erosion;
desertification

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography-note

largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

People

15 fields

Population

33,550,552

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 2.73% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

39.94Death

10.88Net migration

-1.73

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)55.97

55 · 56.98

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)46.1%

57.7% · 34.6%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

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)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 45% (male 7,769,266; female 7,449,510)
15-64 years:: 52% (male 8,818,018; female 8,778,485)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 410,170; female 325,103) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1.26 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

72.64 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 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

Transitional-previously ruling military junta; President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)

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Country name

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

Government type

transitional-previously ruling military junta;
presidential and National Assembly elections held in March 1996;
new constitution drafted by Presidential Committee, will go before public in national referendum in May-June 1998

Administrative divisions

26 states (wilayat, singular-wilayat or wilayah*);
A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah*, Bahr al Jabal, Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab

Constitution

12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985;
interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989;
new constitution being drafted by Presidential Committee

Legal system

based on English common law and Islamic law;
as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states;
Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion;
some separate religious courts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government:: President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the president;
note-President al-BASHIR's 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 dominates much of Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies;
President al-BASHIR named a new cabinet on 20 April 1996 which includes members of the National Islamic Front, serving and retired military officers, and civilian technocrats;
on 8 March 1998, he reshuffled the cabinet and brought in several former rebel and opposition members as ministers
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results:: Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR elected president;
percent of vote-Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 75.7%;
note-about forty other candidates ran for president

note: al-BASHIR, as chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), assumed power on 30 June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until 16 October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC;

upon its dissolution on 16 October 1993, the RCC's executive and legislative powers were devolved to the president and the Transitional National Assembly (TNA), Sudan's appointed legislative body, which has since been replaced by the National Assembly which was elected in March 1996

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275 elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supraassembly of interest groups known as the National Congress)

elections:: last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results:: NA;
the March 1996 elections were held on a nonparty basis;
parties are banned in the new National Assembly

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders

none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Islamic Front, Hasan al-TURABI

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador MAHDI IBRAHIM Mohamed
chancery:: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 338-8565

FAX

[1] (202) 667-2406; consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

US officials at the US Embassy in Khartoum were moved for security reasons in February 1996 and have been relocated to the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Cairo, Egypt;
they visit Khartoum monthly;
the US Embassy in Khartoum (located on Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue; mailing address-P.O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829; telephone-[249] (11) 774611 or 774700; FAX-[249] (11) 774137) is kept open by local employees;
the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya is located at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi;
mailing address - P.O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi;
telephone-[254] (2) 334141;
FAX - [254] (2) 340838;
the US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt is located at (North Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City, Cairo;
mailing address-Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900;
telephone-[20] (2) 3557371;
FAX-[20] (2) 3573200

Flag description

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, purchasing power parity

-$26.6billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$875

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 5% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

27%

(mid-1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector(1992 est.)

agriculture 33%industry 17%services 50% (1992 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$482 millionExpenditures

$1.5 billion (1996)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $30 million

Fixed lines

77,215

(1983 est.)

Economy-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 private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980.

Agriculture 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 kept per capita income at low levels. 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. After Sudan backtracked on promised reforms in 1992-93, the IMF threatened to expel Sudan from the Fund. To avoid expulsion, Khartoum agreed to make payments on its arrears to the Fund, liberalize exchange rates, and reduce subsidies, measures it has partially implemented.

The government's continued prosecution of the civil war and its growing international isolation continued to inhibit growth in the nonagricultural sectors of the economy during 1997. Hyperinflation has raised consumer prices above the reach of most. In 1997, a top priority was to develop potentially lucrative oilfields in south-central Sudan; the government was seeking foreign partners to exploit the oil sector.

Labor force

total:: 11 million (1996 est.)
by occupation:: agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%

note: labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate

30% (FY92/93 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

500,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

1.305 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

43 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

cotton, groundnuts, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sesame; sheep

Exports

total value:: $620 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: cotton 23%, sesame 22%, livestock/meat 13%, gum arabic 5% (1996)
partners:: Saudi Arabia 20%, UK 14%, China 11%, Italy 8% (1996)

Imports

total value:: $1.5 billion (1996)
commodities:: foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles (1996)
partners:: Saudi Arabia 10%, South Korea 7%, Germany 6%, Egypt 6% (1996)

Debt-external

$20.3 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $387 million (1993)

Currency

1 Sudanese pound (£Sd) = 100 piastres

Exchange rates

Sudanese pounds (£Sd) per US$1-official rate: 1,602.70 (July 1997), 1,250.79 (1996), 580.87 (1995), 289.61 (1994), 159.31 (1993);
market rate: 1,612.90 (July 1997), 1,250.79 (1996), 571.02 (August 1995), 289.61 (1994), 159.31 (1993), 97.43 (1992)

note: the market rate is a unified exchange rate determined by a committee of local bankers, without official intervention, and is quoted uniformly by all commercial banks

Fiscal year

calendar year

note: prior to July 1995, Sudan had a fiscal year that began on 1 July and ended on 30 June; as a transition to their new fiscal year, a six-month budget was implemented for 1 July-31 December 1995;

the new calendar year (1 January-31 December) fiscal year became effective 1 January 1996 Communications

Telephone system

large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards

domestic:: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international:: satellite earth stations-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations

AM 11, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

6.67 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

2.06 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 4 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)

cargo 2roll-on/roll-off cargo 2

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 53 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 29

Networkskm

Highways

11,900Railways

5,516Waterways

5,310

Highways: paved: 4,320 km · unpaved: 7,580 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 4,800 km 1.067-m gauge; 716 km 1.6096-m gauge plantation line

Railways

total:: 5,516 km
narrow gauge:: 4,800 km 1.067-m gauge; 716 km 1.6096-m gauge plantation line

Highways

total:: 11,900 km
paved:: 4,320 km
unpaved:: 7,580 km (1996 est.)

total:: 12
over 3,047 m:: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Heliports

1 (1997 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force | Militia

7 fields

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes-international

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 sq km SURINAME

Central Intelligence Agency. “Sudan.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/sudan/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →