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 of this period (1972-82). The wars are 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 led to 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 a part of an anti-government alliance. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-03 with the signing of several accords including a cease-fire agreement.

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 2,505,810 km²
Land: 2.376 million km²
Water: 129,810 km²
Comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 7,687 km
Border countries: (9) Central African Republic 1,165 km; , Chad 1,360 km; , Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km; , Egypt 1,273 km; , Eritrea 605 km; , Ethiopia 1,606 km; , Kenya 232 km; , Libya 383 km; , Uganda 435 km

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore copper chromium ore zinc tungsten mica silver gold hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 6.83%
Permanent crops: 0.18%
Other: 92.99% (2001)

Irrigated land: 19,500 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Geography
Note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

Population: 39,148,162 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.64% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA (2004 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Sudanese

Ethnic groups: black 52% Arab 39% Beja 6% foreigners 2% other 1%

Languages
Note: program of 'Arabization' in process

Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north) indigenous beliefs 25% Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,730,609; female 8,358,569)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 10,588,634; female 10,571,199)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 490,869; female 408,282) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.9 years
Male: 17.7 years
Female: 18.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.64% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 35.79 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 9.37 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 64.05 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 64.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 63.26 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 58.13 years
Male: 56.96 years
Female: 59.36 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 450,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 23,000 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 61.1%
Male: 71.8%
Female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
Conventional short form: Sudan
Local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
Local short form: As-Sudan
Former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Government type: authoritarian regime - ruling military junta took power in 1989; government is run by an alliance of the military and the National Congress Party (NCP) formerly the National Islamic Front (NIF) which espouses an Islamist platform

Capital: Khartoum

Administrative divisions: 26 states (wilayat singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil Al Bahr al Ahmar Al Buhayrat Al Jazirah Al Khartum Al Qadarif Al Wahdah An Nil al Abyad An Nil al Azraq Ash Shamaliyah Bahr al Jabal Gharb al Istiwa'iyah Gharb Bahr al Ghazal Gharb Darfur Gharb Kurdufan Janub Darfur Janub Kurdufan Junqali Kassala Nahr an Nil Shamal Bahr al Ghazal Shamal Darfur Shamal Kurdufan Sharq al Istiwa'iyah Sinnar Warab

Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 1 January (1956)

Constitution: 12 April 1973 suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR

Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991 the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal but noncompulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Field Marshall Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13-23 December 2000 (next to be held NA)
Election results: Field Marshall Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election
Note: BASHIR assumed supreme executive power in 1989 and retained it through several transitional governments in the early and mid-1990s before being popularly elected for the first time in March 1996

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004)
Election results: NCP 355, others 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders: the government allows political 'associations' under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR] Popular National Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI] and over 20 minor pro-government parties

International organization participation: ABEDA ACP AfDB AFESD AMF AU CAEU FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OIC OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim Khidir Haroun AHMED (since April 2001)
In the us chancery: 2,210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 338-8,565
In the us fax: [1] (202) 667-2,406
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gerard M. GALLUCCI
From the us embassy: Sharia Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 9,829
From the us telephone: [249] (11) 774,611 or 774,700
From the us fax: [249] (11) 774,137
From the us note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum (see http://usembassy.egnet.net/sudan.htm)

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) white and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy overview: Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments yet it still faces formidable economic problems starting from its low level of per capita output and extending to its devastating civil stife. From 1997 to date Sudan has been implementing IMF macroeconomic reforms. In 1999 Sudan began exporting crude oil and in the last quarter of 1999 recorded its first trade surplus which along with monetary policy has stabilized the exchange rate. Increased oil production revived light industry and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at 6.1% in 2003 and 7% in 2004. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector employing 80% of the work force and contributing 39% of GDP but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - including the long-standing civil war between the Muslim north and the Christian/pagan south the ethnic purges in Darfur adverse weather and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years.

Real gdp growth rate: 5.9% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1900 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 38.7%
Industry: 20.3%
Services: 41% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton groundnuts (peanuts) sorghum millet wheat gum arabic sugarcane cassava (tapioca) mangos papaya bananas sweet potatoes sesame; sheep livestock

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 11 million (1996 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry and commerce: 7%
By occupation government: 13% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 18.7% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Budget
Revenues: $2.402 billion
Expenditures: $2.546 billion, including capital expenditures of $304 million (2003 est.)

Public debt: 87% of GDP (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.8% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $-718 million (2003)

Exports: $2.45 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: oil and petroleum products; cotton sesame livestock groundnuts gum arabic sugar
Partners: China 40.9% Saudi Arabia 17.2% UAE 5.4% (2003)

Imports: $2.383 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs manufactured goods refinery and transport equipment medicines and chemicals textiles wheat
Partners: Saudi Arabia 16.3% China 14.2% UK 5% Germany 4.9% India 4.8% France 4.1% (2003)

Debt external: $16.09 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 260.983 (2003) 263.306 (2002) 258.702 (2001) 257.122 (2000) 252.55 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 2.389 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 2.222 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 99.11 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 900,000 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 650,000 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: large, well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially
Domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
International: country code - 249; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2000)

Internet
Country code: .sd
Hosts: NA
Users: 300,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $581 million (2001 est.)
Percent of gdp: 2.5% (1999)

Airports: 63 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 12
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 63
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 33
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 2 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: gas 156 km; oil 2,365 km; refined products 810 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 5,978 km
Narrow gauge: 4,595 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km .600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2003)

Waterways: 4,068 km (1723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 20,466 GRT/26,973 DWT
By type: livestock carrier 1, roll on/roll off 2
Registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)

Disputes international: the north-south civil war has affected Sudan's neighbors by drawing them into the fighting and by forcing them to provide shelter to refugees to contend with infiltration by rebel groups and to serve as mediators; Sudan has provided shelter to Ugandan refugees and cover to Lord's Resistance Army soldiers; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed by fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan creating the 'Ilemi Triangle'; Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt is economically developing and currently effectively administers the 'Hala'ib Triangle' north of the Treaty Line; Sudan has pledged to work with the Central African Republic to stem violent skirmishes over water and grazing among related pastoral populations along the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 108,251 (Eritrea), 5,023 (Chad), 7,983 (Uganda)
Idps: 4.367 million (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide) (2004)