Country Study: Part 1
Geography and History
Table of Contents
Geography
Sudan is located in Northern Africa. It is Africa’s largest
country and is equivalent in size to about a fourth of the United
States. Sudan borders many countries including: Uganda,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Chad,
Libya, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Sudan’s
northeast corner borders the Red Sea, which is also Sudan’s
lowest point at 0 meters. The Nile River runs through much of the
country. Sudan’s climate varies by region, going from
sultry in the Southern parts of the country to dry deserts in the
North. The country’s terrain is typically quite flat, with
the exception of some mountains in the Southern region. The
highest point Kinyeti, stands at 3,187 meters. Sudan produces a
minimal amount of natural resources and uses an extremely small portion
of land for their permanent crops. One of the country’s
main environmental concerns is of the depletion in wildlife due to a
disproportionate amount of hunting. Much of the Western region of
Sudan is known as Darfur, and is made up of several states; North, South, and West Darfur. Darfur,
which is most widely known due to its ongoing political conflict and
genocide shares much of its borders with Chad as well as the countries
of Libya and the Central African Republic.
Pictured below is a map of Sudan's location on the continent of Africa
Below is a map of Sudan:
Other maps of Sudan can be found in the Global Geografia
The map below outlines the location of Darfur on the map of Sudan
Map acquired from the African Studies Center of the University of Pennsylvania
History
From the beginning of the Christian
error to the early part of the 19th century, Sudan was primarily made
up of largely independent entities. The state of Sudan changed
soon after that, the Northern region being dominanted by Egyptian
influence and the Southern region becoming overrun by tribal culture.
Attempts to unite Western and Central Sudan were started in 1881
by a man named Muhammad Ibn Abdalla. Muhammad's followers became known
as "Ansars," members of the Umma Party who are still in existence
today, representing the biggest political group in Sudan.
Muhammad led his followers in a revolt which
consequently brought about the fall of Sudan's capital, Khartoun in
1885. In 1898 the "Ansars" experience continued adversity through
the invasion of Anglo-Egyptian forces who excercised their control over
the state and attempted to overrun it. Sudan was subsequently
dominanted by British and Egyptian control until early 1953, when
attempts began to make Sudan an independent state.
On January 1,
1956, Sudan’s Independence was declared. Shortly thereafter civil-political
turmoil came to the forefront and lasted for
several decades. The conflict was sparked by differences among
Southern leaders and those of Khartoum which had promised the
establishment of a feudal government to only later go back on their
word. It led to a civil war that lasted from 1955-1972. Conflict
on the basis of religious and cultural differences among the different
regions of Sudan has been the basis for internal problems such as
economic difficulties and displacement of Sudanese peoples.
1969 saw increased political changes for Sudan.
Colonel Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiri and other communist and socialist
supporters came to power granting independence for the South and
pushing out the communists. Nimeiri went on to sign peace
agreements with neighboring countries in an attempt to sedate rebel
forces and enlisted the help of Southern Sudan to increase his power.
In 1983, the automony granted to the South was quickly taken,
giving Southern control to the central government and making Arabic
their offical language. Southerners resisted and retailiated,
sparking the onset of another civil war.
The instability of Sudan in 1985 led to the
overthrow of President Nimeiri bringing General Suwar al-Dahab to
power. His first plan of action was to eradicate the socialist
union. In 1989, a National Islamic Front was instituted by
General Umar al-Bashir and his army. This front caused increased
conflict between Northern and Southern Sudan. The 90s saw
increased isolation from the Arab central government causing the
Eastern and Western regions of Sudan to sympathize with their Southern
counterparts, rebels leading the Sudan's People Liberation
Movement/Army. In 1997, peace agreements were signed to end military
conflict among the government and rebel groups. These agreements
again provided for autonomy in the Southern regions of Sudan.
On December 31, 2004, the United Nations Security
Counsel proposed a resolution that would acheive peace by bringing
about the end of violence in Sudan's Western region of Darfur.
The Darfur conflict was started in 2003 by two rebel groups, the
SLM/A and the JEM. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed
by both Sudanese Government Officals and respresentives of the SLM/A on
January 9, 2005.
The brief history of Sudan comes from these sources:
- State Department Background
- CIA World Factbook
- Library of Congress Country Studies
Political Facts
Government: Republic
Capital: Khartoum
Official Language: Arabic
Official Religion: Islam
Independence: declared from Egypt and the UK on January 1, 1956.
Population: 40.2 million
Make up of Sudan: 26 states run by President appointed governors.
Sudan’s President also carries the title of many other roles in the Sudanese government.
Major Natural Resource: Petroleum
Other political maps can be found on the Encyclopedia Britannica website
