SUDAN FACT FILE - the people...
Ethnic groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, other 10%, 73 people groups
Religions: 65% Sunni Muslim, 23.2% Christian, 10.6% traditional animist, 1.2% other/non-religious.
Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English (134 different languages)
Infant Mortality Rate: 63 (per 1000 live births)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 57 yrs
Currency: the Sudanese Dinar (1US$= 211.5SDD)x
GNI per capita (US$): $530
Comparing Australia and Sudan...
| Indicator / Statistic | Sudan | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth (2004) | 57yrs | 81yrs |
| Adult literacy rate | 59.9% | NA (est 99%) |
| Literacy rate of 15-24yo | 77.2% | NA |
| Infant mortality rate (0-1yrs) per 1000 live births | 63 (2004) | 5 (2004) |
| % of 1-yr-old children immunized against measles | 59% (2004) | 93% (2004) |
| GNI per capita (US$), 2004 | $530 | $26,900 |
| Primary school completion rate | 48.8% (44.5% girls 53.1% boys) | 98.2% (99% girls, 97.4% boys) |
| Population undernourished | 8,800,000 (2002) (27% total population) | NA |
| % Children (under 5yrs) under weight for age | 40.7% (2000) | NA |
| % Children (under 5yrs) under height for age | 43.3% (2000) | NA |
| Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved water source | 70% (urban: 78%, rural:64%) | 100% |
| Proportion of population with access to improved sanitation | 34% (urban:50%,rural:24%) | 100% |
| % of the urban population in slums | 85.7% 10,106,860 people. (2001) | NA |
| % of the population in malaria-risk areas using effective malaria prevention measures | 0.4% (2000) (1 in every 250) | NA |
| HIV Prevalence: Adult prevalence rate (15-49yrs) | 2.3% | 0.1% |
| HIV Prevalence: Approx No. of people (0-49yrs) living with HIV | 400,000, incl 21,000 children | 14,000 |
| Orphans, children 0-17yrs, orphaned due to all causes | 1,300,000 (9% of all children) | NA |
| Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 population | 6.02 | 141.31 |
SUDAN FACT FILE - the land...
Location: Northern Africa, between Egypt and Eritrea, bordering the Red Sea
Size: 2,505,810 sq km. (Slightly over ¼ of the size of the US) Sudan is the largest country in Africa.
Border Countries: Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Uganda, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Nile runs through Sudan from Egypt in the north through to Kenya? In the south. In Khartoum, Sudan's capital, the Nile divides into the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
Climate: arid desert in north; tropical in south; rainy season (April to October), Khartoum's average temperature is 27degreesC, but in Summer it gets past 45degreesC.
Terrain: mostly flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
Natural resources: petroleum, small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 30% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms (called haboobs), particularly in the north.
Environment - Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting and scattered by war; soil erosion; desertification
FYI: north Sudan is home to many pyramids
Sudan's History...
In 1898, Britain took control of Sudan and left Egypt to control the north and south. In 1956, Sudan gained independence from the British, and left north and south Sudan united as one nation against the desires of many southerners. Thus successive civil wars began which have destroyed much of South Sudan and left the development of the area far behind much of the rest of the world.
In 1972, a peace agreement was made in Addis Abbaba, but the president soon announced it void, and war began once again.
In 1983, sharia law was introduced and Sudan became an Islamic state. The south "rebelled" and the northern government declared "jihad" against the South, which consists mainly of Christians and those who practice traditional African religions. Further complicating the war was the oil being pumped from areas in the south into the north for sale.
On January 9th 2005, a peace agreement was signed between north government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement / Army (SPLM/A) and south Sudan. The conditions of the agreement specify wealth and power sharing, South Sudan's political autonomy and, after 6 years, a referendum on independence for and by south Sudanese.
The Sudanese civil war was the longest running civil war in Africa's history. Over 2 million people were killed. Five million people were displaced. The entire infrastructure of southern Sudan was virtually destroyed. South Sudan lies devastated, its villages and churches in ruins, with virtually no schools or hospitals remaining to support its 12 million people.
A separate much younger conflict (about two years old) continues in Darfur in the west of Sudan. Armed militia known as "janjaweed" travel by horseback through villages raping and pillaging. Widespread starvation and mass civilian displacement have resulted from the fighting, which continues in the face of international pressure for a cease-fire.