Communications
Internet country code [time series]
.sd
Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]
21 (2007)
Internet users [time series]
3.5 million (2006)
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
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), 1 Arabsat (2000)
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]
636,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
4.683 million (2006)
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
3 (1997)
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock
Budget [time series]
revenues: $7.227 billion expenditures: $8.865 billion (2006 est.)
Exchange rates (Currency (code)) [time series]
Sudanese dinar (SDD)
Current account balance [time series]
$-4.339 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external [time series]
$28.2 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]
$1.829 billion (2005)
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Sudan has turned around a struggling economy with sound economic policies and infrastructure investments, but it still faces formidable economic problems starting from its low level of per capita output. 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, high oil prices, revived light industry, and expanded export processing zones helped sustain GDP growth at about 10% in 2006. Agricultural production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force and contributing 35% of GDP, but most farms remain rain-fed and susceptible to drought. Chronic instability - resulting from the long-standing North/South civil war as well as the Darfur conflict, adverse weather, and weak world agricultural prices - ensure that much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years. In late 2006, the government announced its intention to introduce a new currency, the Sudan Pound, from January 2007 at an exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.
Electricity - consumption [time series]
3.298 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports [time series]
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production [time series]
3.944 billion kWh (2005)
Exchange rates [time series]
Sudanese dinars per US dollar - 217.2 (2006), 243.61 (2005), 257.91 (2004), 260.98 (2003), 263.31 (2002)
Exports [time series]
$5.657 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities [time series]
oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar
Exports - partners [time series]
Japan 48%, China 31%, South Korea 3.8% (2006)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$25.43 billion (2006 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$97.19 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: 38.4% industry: 24.3% services: 37.2% (2006 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$2,400 (2006 est.)
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
9.3% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports [time series]
$7.105 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities [time series]
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat
Imports - partners [time series]
China 17.7%, Saudi Arabia 9%, UAE 5.6%, Egypt 5.2%, Germany 5.1%, India 4.5% (2006)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
8.5% (1999 est.)
Industries [time series]
oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
7.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed) [time series]
25.4% of GDP (2006 est.)
Labor force [time series]
7.415 million (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]
$NA
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
81.47 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Oil - consumption [time series]
66,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports [time series]
279,100 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports [time series]
7,945 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - production [time series]
344,700 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - proved reserves [time series]
1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2006)
Population below poverty line [time series]
40% (2004 est.)
Public debt [time series]
63.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$1.66 billion (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate [time series]
18.7% (2002 est.)
Geography
total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Climate [time series]
tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Coastline [time series]
853 km
Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]
lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates [time series]
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Geography - note [time series]
largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries
Irrigated land [time series]
18,630 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 7,687 km border countries: 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
Land use [time series]
arable land: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005)
Location [time series]
Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Map references [time series]
Africa
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural hazards [time series]
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Natural resources [time series]
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower
Terrain [time series]
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah (Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile), Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei), Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal (Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)
Capital [time series]
name: Khartoum geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Constitution [time series]
constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005
Country name [time series]
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
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. Fernandez embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Avenue, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (183) 774701/2/3 FAX: [249] (183) 774137 note: US Consul in Cairo is providing backup service for Khartoum;
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires, Ad Interim John UKEC Lueth (since 17 October 2006) chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005) 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: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan 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: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Government type [time series]
Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections for the 2008 - 2009 timeframe.
Independence [time series]
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
International organization participation [time series]
ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Judicial branch [time series]
Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court; National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National Judiciary
Legal system [time series]
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; however, the CPA establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the southern states
Legislative branch [time series]
bicameral National Legislature consists of a Council of States (50 seats; members indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve six-year terms) and a National Assembly (450 seats; members presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held in 2008-2009 timeframe) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed OMAR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; note - all political parties listed above in the Government of National Unity
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]
Suffrage [time series]
17 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than 4 million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than 2 million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years. After which, a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly 2 million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. As of late 2006, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation, which has become increasingly regional in scope, and has brought instability to eastern Chad, and Sudanese incursions into the Central African Republic. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
Military
Manpower available for military service [time series]
males age 18-49: 8,291,695 females age 18-49: 8,135,683 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service [time series]
males age 18-49: 5,427,474 females age 18-49: 5,649,566 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually [time series]
males age 18-49: 442,915 females age 18-49: 426,320 (2005 est.)
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
Sudanese People's Armed Forces (SPAF): Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces (2007)
Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]
3% (2005 est.)
Military service age and obligation [time series]
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 8,371,628/female 8,016,880) 15-64 years: 56% (male 11,080,025/female 10,956,458) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 504,957/female 449,410) (2007 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
34.86 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate [time series]
14.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
2.3% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
23,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
400,000 (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 91.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Languages [time series]
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of "Arabization" in process
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 49.11 years male: 48.24 years female: 50.03 years (2007 est.)
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases [time series]
degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
Median age [time series]
total: 18.7 years male: 18.6 years female: 18.9 years (2007 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese
Net migration rate [time series]
0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Population [time series]
39,379,358 (July 2007 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
2.082% (2007 est.)
Religions [time series]
Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.044 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.011 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.124 male(s)/female total population: 1.027 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.69 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times; while Sudan claims to administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel; both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s, and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 116,746 (Eritrea), 20,000 (Chad), 14,633 (Ethiopia), 7,895 (Uganda), 5,023 (Central African Republic) IDPs: 5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide in Darfur region, IDP registration for return to South Sudan started in 2005) (2006)
Trafficking in persons [time series]
current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan may also be a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked to the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, for use as camel jockeys; small numbers of girls are reportedly trafficked within Sudan for domestic servitude as well as for commercial sexual exploitation in small brothels in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps; the terrorist rebel organization "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) continues to abduct and forcibly conscript small numbers of children in Southern Sudan for use as cooks, porters, and combatants in its ongoing war against Uganda; some of these children are then trafficked across borders into Uganda or possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo; children are utilized by rebel groups and the Sudanese Armed Forces and associated militias in the ongoing conflict in Darfur; during the decades of civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were enslaved by members of Baggara tribes and subjected to various forms of forced labor without remuneration as well as physical and sexual abuse; with the cessation of the North-South conflict and the ongoing peace process, there were no known new abductions of Dinka by Baggara tribes during 2005; however, inter-tribal abductions of a different nature continue in Southern Sudan and warrant further investigation tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so
Transportation
Airports [time series]
101 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 85 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 27 (2007)
Heliports [time series]
4 (2007)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,311 GRT/26,179 DWT by type: cargo 2, livestock carrier 1 (2007)
Pipelines [time series]
gas 156 km; oil 3,930 km; refined products 1,613 km (2006)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Port Sudan
Railways [time series]
total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2006)
Roadways [time series]
total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (1999)
Waterways [time series]
4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2006)