Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The referendum was held in January 2011 and indicated overwhelming support for independence. South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements signed in September 2012 relating to the normalization of relations between the two countries. The final disposition of the contested Abyei region has also to be decided.

Following South Sudan's independence, conflict broke out between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states (together known as the Two Areas), and has resulted in 1.1 million internally displaced persons or severely affected persons needing humanitarian assistance. A separate conflict broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, displacing nearly 2 million people and causing thousands of deaths. Fighting in both the Two Areas and Darfur between government forces and opposition has largely subsided, however the civilian populations are affected by low-level violence including inter-tribal conflict and banditry, largely a result of weak rule of law. The UN and the African Union have jointly commanded a Darfur peacekeeping operation (UNAMID) since 2007. Peacekeeping troops have struggled to address insecurity in Darfur and have increasingly become targets for attacks by armed groups. Sudan also has faced refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and denial of access by both the government and armed opposition have impeded the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

15 00 N, 30 00 E

Africa

slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US

853 km

hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north

highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,042 m

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

arable land 15.7%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 84.2%

18,900 sq km (2012)

with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated; more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur

dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

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

the Nile is Sudan's primary water source; its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea

37,345,935 (July 2017 est.)

Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Fallata

Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Fur

Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority

1.64% (2017 est.)

27.9 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-4.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

with the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated; more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and througout South Darfur

KHARTOUM (capital) 5.129 million (2015)

311 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

3.57 children born/woman (2017 est.)

12.2% (2014)

8.4% of GDP (2014)

3.06 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

0.8 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 66% of population

rural: 50.2% of population

total: 55.5% of population

urban: 34% of population

rural: 49.8% of population

total: 44.5% of population (2012 est.)

urban: 43.9% of population

rural: 13.4% of population

total: 23.6% of population

urban: 56.1% of population

rural: 86.6% of population

total: 76.4% of population (2012 est.)

0.2% (2016 est.)

56,000 (2016 est.)

3,000 (2016 est.)

6.6% (2014)

33% (2014)

2.2% of GDP (2009)

presidential republic

18 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); Blue Nile, Central Darfur, East Darfur, Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala, Khartoum, North Darfur, North Kordofan, Northern, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan, White Nile

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK)

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

mixed legal system of Islamic law and English common law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2008

17 years of age; universal

Democratic Unionist Party or DUP [Jalal al-DIGAIR]

Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI]

Federal Umma Party [Dr. Ahmed Babikir NAHAR]

Muslim Brotherhood or MB

National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]

National Umma Party or NUP [Saddiq al-MAHDI]

Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]

Reform Movement Now [Dr. Ghazi Salahuddin al-ATABANI]

Sudan National Front [Ali Mahmud HASANAYN]

Sudanese Communist Party or SCP [Mohammed Moktar Al-KHATEEB]

Sudanese Congress Party or SCoP [Ibrahim Al-SHEIKH]

Umma Party for Reform and Development

Unionist Movement Party or UMP

Darfur rebel groups including the Justice and Equality Movement or JEM [Gibril Fidail IBRAHIM], Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM-AW [Abdel Wahid al-NUR, various factional leaders], Sudan Liberation Movement or SLM-MM [Minni Arkou MINAWI]

National Consensus Front or NCF [Farouq ABU ISSA]

Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North or SPLM-N [Yasir ARMAN]

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; colors and design based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I, but the meanings of the colors are expressed as follows: red signifies the struggle for freedom, white is the color of peace, light, and love, black represents the people of Sudan (in Arabic 'Sudan' means black), green is the color of Islam, agriculture, and prosperity

secretary bird; national colors: red, white, black, green

Sudan has experienced protracted social conflict, civil war, and, in July 2011, the loss of three-quarters of its oil production due to the secession of South Sudan. The oil sector had driven much of Sudan's GDP growth since 1999. For nearly a decade, the economy boomed on the back of rising oil production, high oil prices, and significant inflows of foreign direct investment. Since the economic shock of South Sudan's secession, Sudan has struggled to stabilize its economy and make up for the loss of foreign exchange earnings. The interruption of oil production in South Sudan in 2012 for over a year and the consequent loss of oil transit fees further exacerbated the fragile state of Sudan’s economy. Ongoing conflicts in Southern Kordofan, Darfur, and the Blue Nile states, lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture, keep close to half of the population at or below the poverty line.

Sudan is also subject to comprehensive US sanctions. Sudan is attempting to develop non-oil sources of revenues, such as gold mining, while carrying out an austerity program to reduce expenditures. The world’s largest exporter of gum Arabic, Sudan produces 75-80% of the world’s total output. Agriculture continues to employ 80% of the work force.

Sudan introduced a new currency, still called the Sudanese pound, following South Sudan's secession, but the value of the currency has fallen since its introduction. Khartoum formally devalued the currency in June 2012, when it passed austerity measures that included gradually repealing fuel subsidies. Sudan also faces high inflation, which reached 47% on an annual basis in November 2012 but subsided to about 20% in 2016-17.

$177 billion (2016 est.)

$169.6 billion (2015 est.)

$160 billion (2014 est.)

$91.24 billion (2016 est.)

3.1% (2016 est.)

4.9% (2015 est.)

1.6% (2014 est.)

$4,500 (2016 est.)

$4,500 (2015 est.)

$4,400 (2014 est.)

11.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

9.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

9.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum Arabic, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), mangoes, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame seeds; animal feed, sheep and other livestock

oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly, milling

5.5% (2016 est.)

11.92 million (2007 est.)

20.6% (2016 est.)

14.8% (2013 est.)

46.5% (2009 est.)

7.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

-4.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

65.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

59.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

17.8% (2016 est.)

16.9% (2015 est.)

$12.51 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$9.514 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$19.53 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$15.43 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$21.61 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$17.35 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-5.126 billion (2016 est.)

$-5.461 billion (2015 est.)

$3.094 billion (2016 est.)

$3.169 billion (2015 est.)

gold; oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, peanuts, gum Arabic, sugar

UAE 42.9%, Saudi Arabia 19.5%, Egypt 15.9% (2016)

$7.325 billion (2016 est.)

$8.368 billion (2015 est.)

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines, chemicals, textiles, wheat

UAE 15.4%, India 11.2%, Egypt 10.4%, Saudi Arabia 9.2%, Turkey 8.9%, Japan 5% (2016)

$168.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$173.5 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$51.26 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$49.42 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$25.47 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$24.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar -

6.14 (2016 est.)

6.14 (2015 est.)

6.03 (2014 est.)

5.74 (2013 est.)

3.57 (2012 est.)

12.69 billion kWh (2015 est.)

10.26 billion kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

3.736 million kW (2015 est.)

34.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

60.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

5.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

104,900 bbl/day (2016 est.)

152,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

5 billion bbl (1 January 2017 es)

89,300 bbl/day (2014 est.)

110,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

7,396 bbl/day (2014 est.)

23,920 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

14 million Mt (2013 est.)

the Sudanese Government directly controls TV and radio, requiring that both media reflect government policies; TV has a permanent military censor; a private radio station is in operation (2007)

.sd

ST (2016)

74 (2013)

6 (2013)

gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2013)

4,068 km (1,723 km open year-round on White and Blue Nile Rivers) (2011)

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy (includes Marines), Sudanese Air Force (Sikakh al-Jawwiya as-Sudaniya), Rapid Support Forces, Popular Defense Forces (2016)

18-33 years of age for male and female compulsory or voluntary military service; 1-2 year service obligation; a requirement that completion of national service was mandatory before entering public or private sector employment has been cancelled (2012)

the effects of Sudan's ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence; as of April 2017, more than 610,000 Sudanese refugees are being hosted in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan; Sudan, in turn, is hosting about 507,000 refugees, including more than 375,000 from South Sudan; Sudan accuses South Sudan of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; Sudan claims but Egypt de facto administers security and economic development of the Halaib region north of the 22nd parallel boundary; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic; South Sudan-Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment, final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei Area pending negotiations between South Sudan and Sudan