Sudan - Country facts
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Background
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for all but 10 years since then. The war is rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. Since 1983, the war and war- and famine-related effects have resulted in more than 2 million deaths and over 4 million people displaced. The ruling regime is a mixture of military elite and an Islamist party that came to power in a 1989 coup. Some northern opposition parties have made common cause with the southern rebels and entered the war as part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords, including a cease-fire agreement.
Climate
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Population
40,187,486 (July 2005 est.)
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)
Languages
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note: program of "Arabization" in process
Map of Sudan
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