The Sudan

The Sudan, Officially the Republic of the Sudan, is located in northeast Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and the in the Arab world and it is the tenth largest in the world by area. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the southeast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest

The world's longest river, known as the Nile and which is composed of two rivers, the white Nile coming from south west and the Blue Nile coming from the south east, divides the country between east and west sides

The people of Sudan have a long history extending from antiquity which is intertwined with the history of Egypt, with which it was united politically over several periods. After gaining independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956, Sudan suffered 17 years of civil war followed by ethnic, religious and economic conflicts between the North and the South that ended in 1972 when the two sides signed the Addis Ababa Peace Accords. However in 1983 the country relapsed once again in a civil war ((that ended in 2005, with the signing of the Comprehensive peace Agreement -CPA-)) and due to continuing political and armed conflict, Sudan was seized in a bloodless coup d'état led by the then, Brigadier-General Omar Hassan Ahmed  al-Bashir in June1989. Sudan then achieved great economic growth by implementing macroeconomic reforms and finally ended the civil war in 2005 upon the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), ending twenty five years of civil war and by adopting a new constitution in 2005 with rebel groups in the south, granting them limited autonomy to be followed by a referendum about independence in 2011.

Rich in natural resources such as petroleum and crude oil, Sudan's economy is currently amongst the fastest growing in the world. The People's Republic of China and Japan are the main export partners of Sudan

A member of the United Nations, Sudan also maintains membership with the African Union, League of the Arab State, Organization of the Islamic Conference and Non-aligned Movement, as well as serving as an observer in World Trade Organization.

Its capital is Khartoum, which serves as the political, cultural and commercial centre of the nation, while Omdurman remains the largest city. Among Sudan's population of 42 million people, Sunni Islam is the official and largest religion, while Arabic and English are the official languages

Economy

Despite being the 17th fastest growing economy in the world with new economic policies and infrastructure investments, Sudan still faces formidable economic problems, as it must rise from a very low level of per capita output. Since 1997, Sudan has been implementing the macroeconomic reforms recommended by the IMF.

In 1999, Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999, recorded its first trade surplus. Increased oil production (current production about 520,000 barrels per day (83,000 m3/d) revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003. These gains, along with improvements to monetary policy, have stabilized the exchange rate.

Currently oil is Sudan's main export, and the production is increasing dramatically. With rising oil revenues the Sudanese economy is booming, with a growth rate of about 9% in 2007.

Rich mineral resources are available in Sudan including petroleum, natural gas, gold, silver, chromites, asbestos, manganese, gypsum, mica, zinc, iron, lead, uranium, copper, kaolin, cobalt, granite, nickel, tin, aluminum.

Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the workforce and contributing 39% of GDP, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought.   But the Merowe Dam, also known as Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam, is a large construction project in Northern Sudan, about 350 km north of the capital Khartoum. It is situated on the River Nile, close to the Fourth Cataractwhere the river divides into multiple smaller branches with large islands in between. Merowe is a city about 40 km downstream from the construction site at Hamdab.

The main purpose of the dam will be the generation of electricity. Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydro power project in Africa. The construction of the dam was to be finished by mid-2008, supplying more than 90% of the population with electricity. Other gas-powered generating stations are under construction in Khartoum state

Despite the American sanctions, the Sudanese economy is one of the fastest growing in the world according to a New York Times report of October 2006

Demography

The 2009 census put the population at more than 39 million people. The population of metropolitan Khartoum (including Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North) is growing rapidly and is estimated at about 5 to 7 million, including around 2 million displaced persons from the southern war zone as well as western and eastern drought-affected areas.

Ethnic groups

Sudan is reportedly hosting 597 tribes that speak over 400 different languages and dialects, split into two major Ethnic groups: Arabsof the largely MuslimNorthern Sudan and the largely Christianand animistNilotics of the south. 

Most Sudanese Arabs are "Arabs" in linguistic and cultural association. The Nubiansshare a common history with Egypt. In common with much of the rest of the Arab World, the gradual process of Arabisationin northern Sudan led to the predominance of the Arabic languageand aspects of Arab culture, leading to the shift among a majority of northern Sudanese today to an Arab ethnic identity. This process was furthered both by the spread of Islam and an emigration to Sudan of genealogical Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula, and their intermarriage with the Arabized indigenous peoples of the country.

The northern states cover most of Sudan and include most of the urban centres. Most of the 22 million Sudanese who live in this region are Arabic-speaking Muslims, as education is in Arabic language, though the majority also use a traditional non-Arabic mother tongue (e.g. Nubian, Beja, Fur, Nuban, Ingessana, etc.). Among these are several distinct tribal groups: the camel-raising Kababish of northern Kordofan; the Dongolawiyin; the Ga’aliyin the Rubatab the Manasirthe Shaiqiyah, the Bideiria ; the semi-nomadic Baggara of Kordofanand Darfur; the Bejaand Hausa peoplein the Red Sea area and who extend into Eritrea; and the Nubians of the northern Nile areas, some of whom have been resettled on the Atbara River.

Shokrya in the Butanaland, Bataheen bordering the Ga’alin and Shokrya in the southwest of Butana. Rufaa, Halaween, Fulaniand many other tribes have settled in the Gazera region and on the banks of the Blue Nile, Damazin and the Dindir regions. There are the Nuba of southern Kordofan and Fur in the western reaches of the country.

The southern region has a population of around six million and a predominantly rural, subsistence economy. This region has been affected by war for all but 10 years since the country's independence in 1956, resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than two million people have died, and more than four million are internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.

Here a majority of the population practices traditional indigenous beliefs, although some practice Christianity, a result of Christian missionaryefforts. The south also contains many tribal groups and many more languages are used than in the north. The Dinka, whose population is estimated at more than one million, are the largest of the many ethnic groups of Sudan. Along with the Chuluk also the Nuer, the Otuho and the Bariwho consist of five other tribes, Pojulu, Mundari, Kuku, Kakuw and Ngangwara are Nilotictribes. The Azande, Bor, and Jo Luoare “Sudanic” tribes in the west, and the Otuho and Acholilivein the extreme south.

An estimated 70% of the population adheres to Islam, while the remainder of the population follows either animistand indigenous beliefs (25%) or Christianity (5%).

Islam predominates in the north, while traditional indigenous beliefs (animism) and Christianity are prevalent in the south. Almost all Muslims are Sunni, although there are significant distinctions between followers of different Sunni traditions. Two popular divisions, the Ansar and the Khatmia, are associated with the Umma and Democratic Unionist Parties, respectively. There is a tiny Shi'acommunity in the Sudan.

Christians in Sudan belong to various churches including the Roman Catholic Church, small Melkiteand Maronitecommunities in the north, as well as Anglicansfollowers in the Episcopal Church of Sudanand the recently formed Reformed Episcopal Church. The Presbyteriansare mainly in the Nuer and Chollo tribes. There are significant but long established groups of Orthodox Christiansin Khartoum and other northern cities, including Coptic Orthodoxand Greek OrthodoxChristians.