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| HOME | I. Introduction
Sudan (country), republic in northeastern Africa, the largest country
of the African continent. It is bounded on the north by Egypt; on the east
by the Red Sea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia; on the south by Kenya, Uganda, and
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire); and on the west
by the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya. Sudan has a total area
of 2,505,800 sq km (967,490 sq mi). Khartoum is the capital and largest
city.
II. Land and Resources
Sudan has a maximum length from north to south of more than 2,250 km
(1,400 mi); the extreme width of the country is about 1,730 km (about 1,075
mi). It is divided into three separate natural regions, ranging from desert
in the north, covering about 30 percent of all Sudan, through a vast semiarid
region of steppes and low mountains in central Sudan, to a region of vast
swamps (the As Sudd region) and rain forest in the south. Major topographical
features of Sudan are the Nile River, its headstreams the White Nile and
Blue Nile, and the tributaries of these rivers. The White Nile traverses
the country from the Uganda border to a point near Khartoum, where it joins
the Blue Nile to form the Nile proper. The Blue Nile rises in the Ethiopian
Plateau and flows across east central Sudan. Of the Nile tributaries the
most important is the 'Atbarah, which also rises in the Ethiopian Plateau.
The Libyan Desert, a barren waste broken by rugged uplands, covers most
of Sudan west of the Nile proper. The Nubian Desert lies in the region
east of the Nile proper and the 'Atbarah. The Red Sea Hills are located
along the coast. The highest point in Sudan, Kinyeti (3,187 m/10,456 ft),
is in the southeast.
A. Climate
Sudan has a tropical climate. Seasonal variations are most sharply defined
in the desert zones, where winter temperatures as low as 4°C (40°F)
are common, particularly after sunset. Summer temperatures often exceed
40°C (110°F) in the desert zones, and rainfall is negligible. Dust
storms, called haboobs, frequently occur. High temperatures also prevail
to the south throughout the central plains region, but the humidity is
generally low. In the vicinity of Khartoum the average annual temperature
is about 27°C (about 80°F); and annual rainfall, most of which
occurs between mid-June and September, is about 250 mm (about 10 in). Equatorial
climatic conditions prevail in southern Sudan. In this region the average
annual temperature is about 29°C (about 85°F), annual rainfall
is more than 1,000 mm (40 in), and the humidity is excessive.
B. Natural Resources
The primary natural resources of Sudan are water, supplied by the Nile
River system, and fertile soil. Large areas of cultivable land are situated
in the region between the Blue Nile and the 'Atbarah and between the Blue
Nile and the White Nile. Other cultivable land is in the narrow Nile Valley
and in the valleys of the plains region. Irrigation is extensively employed
in these areas. The country also has vast areas of grasslands and forests,
including acacia forests, the source of gum arabic. Small deposits of many
different minerals occur, the most important of which are chromium, copper,
and iron ore. Petroleum was discovered in western Sudan in the late 1970s
and early 1980s.
C. Plants and Animals
Vegetation is sparse in the desert zones of Sudan. Various species of acacia occur in the regions contiguous to the Nile Valley. Large forested areas are found in central Sudan, especially in the river valleys. Among the most common trees are the hashab, talh, heglig, and several species of acacia, notably sunt, laot, and kittr. Trees such as ebony, silag, and baobab are common in the Blue Nile Valley. Ebony, mahogany, and other varieties of timber trees are found in the White Nile Basin. Other species of indigenous vegetation include cotton, papyrus, castor-oil plants, and rubber plants. Animal life is abundant in the plains and equatorial regions of Sudan.
Elephants are numerous in the southern forests, and crocodiles and hippopotamuses
abound in the rivers. Other large animals include giraffes, leopards, and
lions. Monkeys, various species of tropical birds, and poisonous reptiles
are also found, and insects—especially mosquitoes, seroot flies, and tsetse
flies—infest the equatorial belt.
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