200 Amazing Facts About Sudan

200 Interesting Facts About Sudan

Sudan is a country in Northern Africa.
The official name of the country is the Republic of the Sudan.
There are approximately 50,000 deaf people in Sudan.
Sudan is a net importer of food.
Sudan has a total border length of 6,751 kilometers.
Petroleum is Sudan’s major natural resource.
There are 12 holidays in the Sudan.
After the separation of South Sudan from the North, an estimated 5-7 billion barrels of oil reserves have been lost to South Sudan.
Sudan has 18,630 km² of irrigated land.
January first is the national day in Sudan.
South Sudan is the world’s newest nation.
Deriba Caldera is the highest point in Sudan at an elevation of 3,042 m, located in Darfur in the western part of Sudan.
The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is the lowest point in Sudan.
The average life expectancy in the Sudan is 63.71.
46% of people in the Sudan live below the poverty line.
The estimated population of the Sudan is 41,160,965.
The nominal GDP of the Sudan is $115,874 billion, and the nominal per capita GDP is $2,841.
The government in the Sudan is a dominant-party federal semi-presidential republic.
The official languages in the Sudan are Arabic and English.
The total area of the Sudan is 728,215 square miles (1,886,068 square kilometers).
The currency of the Sudan is the Sudanese pound.
People drive on the right side of the road in the Sudan.
The Sudan has a 530-mile (853 km) coastline bordering the Red Sea.
The countries bordering the Sudan by land, are Libya, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
97% of the Sudan’s population are followers of Islam, and most of them follow the Sunni form of Islam.
The nominal GDP of the Sudan is $115,874 billion, and the nominal per capita is $2,841.
An estimated two million people died as a consequence of disease, famine, and war during the Second Sudanese war that happened from 1983-2005.
Women in the Sudan can be whipped in public by police officers for public indecency. Public indecency can entail getting into a car with a man they are not related to, or not dressing conservatively enough.
After the 2011 succession of South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan lost more than ¾ of its oil reserves.
Dinder National Park is a national park and biosphere reserve in eastern Sudan. The park was established in 1935 and it is one of two parks in the Sudan designated as Biosphere Reserves. The park lies along the transition ecotone between two floristic regions : the Ethiopian high plateau and the arid sahara Sudanian biomes. The park is home to 27 species of large mammals such as Masai lions, African leopards, Sudan cheetahs, over 160 species of birds, 32 species of fish, and small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians.
Sanganeb National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Sudan. It was established in 1990 and it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2016. It is the first marine national park in Sudan. The park is filled with exquisite colorful corals and fish.
The name “Sudan” translates to “the land of the blacks” in Arabic. It is taken from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān.
The independent state of the Republic of Sudan was born on July 9, 2011.
Sudan was once the largest and the most geographically diverse state in South Africa. However, it was split into two countries in July 2011. Now, it is the third largest country in Africa (after Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
By 1945, two political parties had emerged in Sudan. One was the National Unionist Party and the other was the Umma Party.
On January 1, 1956, Sudan gained independence from Egypt and the UK.
The White Nile and the Blue Nile are the two tributaries of the Nile. These two tributaries merge at Khartoum—the capital of Sudan—becoming the Nile River proper before flowing into Egypt. Its other major tributaries are the Bahr el Ghazal, Sobat and Atbarah rivers.
The river Nile runs from the north to the south of Sudan.
The Neur tribe of southern Sudan has a tradition of “ghost marriage.” A man may marry a woman as a stand-in for his deceased brother. The children that are born of this union will be considered descendants of the dead man–the “ghost”. The ghost is the socially recognized father.
In Sudan, the minimum age for a male to get married is 18 or above, while that for a female is 16 years or above.
Hospitality takes center stage in Sudan. When a visitor arrives, refreshments are served almost immediately, followed by meals. Irrespective of the host’s economic situation or the contents of their refrigerator, the guests will be offered everything they have.
Sudan boasts the first female parliamentarian in Africa and the Middle East (1965), and the first female Minister of Health (1974).
Sudan brought the Middle East its first female judge, cinematographer, football referee, army members and police officers.
Recent excavations at Meroe and Mussawwarat es-Sufra revealed temples with walls and statues covered with gold leaf.
With the consent of the British and Egyptian Governments, Sudan achieved independence on January 1, 1956, under a provisional constitution.
Since its independence in 1956, the history of Sudan has been marred by civil war between the mainly-Muslim north and the Christian/animist south. In July 2011, the two countries separated.
Sudan had been the largest country on the continent until the 2011 independence of South Sudan.
The country’s place name Sudan is a name given to a geographical region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western Africa to eastern Central Africa. The name derives from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān (بلاد السودان), meaning “the lands of the Blacks” in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants.
Sudan is a poor country, despite its potential resources. Sudan’s economy is basically agricultural, with inadequate infrastructure and ridden by civil wars and social and ethnic conflict.
Sudan lost most of its oil reserves (over 80 percent), after the secession of South Sudan.
The National Museum of Sudan is a double storied building constructed in 1955 and established as a museum in 1971. The building and its surrounding gardens house the largest and most comprehensive Nubian archaeological collection in the world including objects from the Paleolithic through to the Islamic period originating from every site of importance in the Sudan.
What is now northern Sudan was in ancient times the Kingdom of Nubia, which ruled Egypt in the early years. Nubian civilization flourished until 350 AD.
Sudan was a collection of small, independent kingdoms and principalities from the beginning of the Christian era until 1820-21, when northern Sudan was again invaded from Egypt, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. The sultan’s third son was sent to rule Sudan, which was valued as a route for slaves and gold out of Africa.
Every country and culture has their own weird traditions. The Nilotic tribes in Sudan practice ghost marriages where a man may marry a woman as a stand-in for his deceased brother. This is done in order to continue the family lineage as the children that are born of this union will be considered descendants of the dead man. And as a result polygamy is widely practiced as the man can marry once for himself and for his dead brothers as well.
Sudan had one of the first and most active women’s movements in the African and Arab world during the 1960s–70s. It became the first country to have a female parliamentarian in Africa and the Middle East (1965) and female Minister of Health (1974). Sudan is also the first Muslim and Arab country to have female as a judge, cinematographer, football referee, army members and police officers.
Under Sudan’s sharia law, adultery and homosexuality are punishable by death. Engaging in premarital sex, drinking alcohol, and uttering blasphemy are also punishable by lashing. Apostasy―the conversion from Islam to Christianity― is a capital offense in Sudan.
Sudan is the world’s largest producer (80%) of gum arabic. It is a binding substance found in gum, shampoo, soft drinks, marshmallows, and many other common products.
Blue Bell wreck is a very popular site for divers in Sudan. It was created from a 1977 shipwreck when the cargo of Toyota cars, trucks, and tractors was scattered. It is also known as the “Toyota Wreck”.
In the Sudan, crucifixion is legal to use as a punishment.
One of the biggest archaeological sites in ancient Nubia, Kerma, is located in the Sudan. It existed over 5000 years ago and included an enormous tomb structure called the Western Deffufa.
The Sudan is listed as the 16th largest country in the world based on land area
All rivers and streams in the Sudan drain either toward, or into the Nile River.
Revolution Day, in the Sudan, is celebrated yearly on June 30 to remember the bloodless coup of 1989, led by then Colonel Omar al Bashir getting rid of the Sadiq al-Mahdi government.
Some animals you will find in nature in the Sudan, are elephants, leopards, cheetahs, lions, antelope, rhinoceroses, and antelope.
In 2010, President Omar al-Bashir was charged with genocide by the International Criminal court. He has never faced punishment for those charges.
The Sudan is on the United States list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
In the Second Sudanese Civil War, children from all sides involved were enlisted to fight.
The second civil war in Sudan became the reason for the death of two and half million people.
The reason behind the conflict in Sudan is not just religious differences. The conflict is also caused by a lack of availability of limited natural resources like water and pastureland to sustain life. Oil reserves are another cause of the conflict. One country – South Sudan – has an abundance of oil reserves, while the other – North Sudan or the Republic of Sudan – has the machinery to process it.
Sudan is the 16th largest country in the world by land area.
On August 20, 1998, the United States launched cruise missiles that destroyed a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Khartoum. The company was alleged to be manufacturing chemical weapons under the sponsorship of Osama bin Laden.
Sudan suffers from periodic droughts, desertification, soil erosion, declining wildlife and inadequate supply of potable water.
Soil in Sudan can be divided into three categories: the sandy soils of the northern and west central areas, the clay soils of the central region, and the laterite soils of the south.
A haboob, a type of an intense dust storm, can occur in Central Sudan (May through July), reducing visibility to zero.
The domestic processing of crude petroleum began in late 1964 when the Port Sudan oil refinery went into operation.
U.A.E., China, and Canada are the top export partners of Sudan, while China, India and Saudi Arabia are its top import partners.
Precious stones and metals represent the largest export items, while industrial machinery is the largest item category imported by Sudan.
The first civil war occurred in the country during 1955-1972, and the second civil war happened during 1983-2005.
Twelve hundred people dive in the Red Sea in Sudan every year.
With 114 native languages and more than 500 accents, Sudan has a diverse multilingual population.
As per the CIA, the literacy rate for the total population of Sudan is 75.9% (2015 est.).
After the formation of South Sudan, the size of Sudan was reduced by 25%.
In 2016, 26.4% of the population of Sudan uses the internet.
Sudan has one doctor for every 10,000 people.
The majority of children die before reaching the age of five.
As per nationmaster.com, the employment rate for adults in Sudan is 47.3.
As per the 2008 World Refugee Survey, 310,500 refugees and asylum seekers lived in Sudan in 2007.
The war in Darfur began in February 2003 between the nomadic Arab tribes encroaching upon the settled land of black-farming tribes. The conflicts escalated when Sudan’s government took the side of the nomadic Arabs, causing the non-Arab tribes to rebel. Around 400,000 are killed and more than 2.5 million people were displaced during the war. According to the United Nations (UN), civil war in Darfur region is seen as “one of the worst nightmares in recent history.”
With 114 native languages and more than 500 accents, Sudan has a diverse multilingual population.
Northern Sudan is very dry and prone to intense dust storms called haboobs that can black out the sun and cut visibility down to zero.
The conflict between Sudan and South Sudan is Africa’s longest civil war, lasting from 1955 to 1972 and again from 1983 to 2005. The war left over 2.5 million Sudanese dead and more than 4 million displaced.
Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir is the first head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. He gave the fighting force known as Janjaweed free reign to fight against civilians in Darfur, which led to looting of food supplies, incidents of rape, and the burning of villages and mosques. The court issued warrants in 2009 and 2010 but the Sudanese government refused the arrest along with many other African countries on the grounds that it may destabilize Sudan.
Deriba Caldera is at the highest point of Jebel Marra at an elevation of 3,042 meters (9,980 feet), in Darfur in the western part of Sudan. The caldera rim became Sudan’s new highest point, after the independence of South Sudan. It is between 5 km and 8 km in diameter across the outer crater. The inner crater is filled by a crater lake.
Sudan has 853 kilometers (530 miles) of coastline with many beaches.
With its unspoiled natural setting, the beaches in Sudan offer something different for beach lovers. The most common and popular water sport in Sudan is scuba diving. This is unsurprising, given the variety of corals and fishes that are found in the shallow waters of the Red Sea bed.
Protected areas in Sudan covers about 2.3% of the national territory. It is made up of 4 national parks, 2 Marine National Park plus other types of protected areas.
By the 1880s, the Sudanese were discontent with rule from Egypt, which was now under British influence. In 1881, a religious leader called Muhammad Ahmad rose up.
Pyramids are always associated with Egypt but do you know that Sudan is home to more pyramids than Egypt? In fact, it has world’s largest collection of pyramids in one place with over 200 pyramids.
The country’s name derives from the Arabic bilad al-sudan, which means “land of the blacks.”
It is in Sudan where Nile River is formed. The White Nile and Blue Nile are the two tributaries which merge at Khartoum, becoming the Nile River before flowing into Egypt.
There was once an underwater village in the Red Sea of Sudan. Famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau created the project n 1962 to prove that it’s possible for humans to live underwater. Today, the remains of only the underwater garage are present.
Slavery is still a widespread problem in Sudan, with many children, women, and men subjected to forced labor, sex trafficking, or recruitment as child soldiers
Sudan is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with 46.5% of the population live below the poverty line.
The official name of Sudan is the Republic of the Sudan (Jumhuriyat as-Sudan).
The war in Darfur began in February 2003, causing an estimated death count of 200,000 to 400,000 people, and displacing nearly two million others.
Large numbers of refugees also entered Sudan from neighboring countries such as Chad and Ethiopia.
The metric system is the legal standard, but a highly diverse system based on Egyptian and British standards is in local use for weights and measures.
The area occupied by Sudan is slightly more than one-quarter the size of the United States, as per encyclopedia.com.
There are more pyramids in one small section of the northern Sudanese desert than there are in the whole of Egypt, according to Slate.com.
A significant part of the economy of Sudan is the ox-driven water wheel. The wheel, which was first introduced in Sudan about four centuries before Christ, is still in operation in the country.
The country also has significant deposits of chromium ore, copper, iron ore, mica, silver, gold, tungsten, and zinc.
In 1972, the first civil war ended after 17 years. The end was marked by the signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement between the two parties.
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 brought an end to the second civil war.
In September 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell deemed the Darfur conflict a genocide and called it the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
Sudan is nicknamed the Arab world’s food basket, as it accounts for 45% of arable land in the Arab world.
In Sudan, priests and high-ranking officials would often be buried with a small pyramid atop their grave.
Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president since 1989, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, and his country ranks near the bottom of the press freedom index.
It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest.
As of 1 January 2017, the population of Sudan was estimated to be 41,529,370 people.
With an area of 1,886,068 square kilometers (728,215 square miles), Sudan is the 15th largest country in the world, and the 3rd largest in Africa.
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan. The city is located where the Blue Nile and White Nile Rivers merge. In 1821, Khartoum was established 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of the ancient city of Soba, by Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Egypt’s ruler, Muhammad Ali Pasha, who had just incorporated Sudan into his realm.
The landscape of Sudan consists mainly of flat plains punctuated by several mountain ranges.
When the British took over Egypt, they also occupied Sudan to protect the Nile waters. Defeating the Mahdists in 1898, the British gave Sudan its own status.
Sudan is the world’s largest producer of gum arabic. This is a natural resin which comes from the acacia trees growing across the central belt. The gum can be used as a glue on stamps or in inks and paints. But it is most valued for its use in foods such as sweets and fizzy drinks.
Religion plays an important role in Sudan, with 97% of the country’s population adhering to Islam.
The Arab presence is estimated at 70% of the Sudanese population. Others include the Arabized ethnic groups of Nubians, Zaghawa, and Copts.
Sudan has 597 groups that speak over 400 different languages and dialects.
The most popular sports in Sudan are athletics (track and field) and football.
The flag of the Sudan has a green triangle based at the hoist, and the rest of the flag is three thick horizontal stripes of (from the top) red, white, and black.
The Sudan is the third largest country in Africa.
The Republic of Sudan emerged in July 2011 after the country was split in two. South Sudan split off to become its own country separate from the Republic of Sudan.
Homosexuality is not legal in the Sudan and is a capital offense.
The Sudanese base their legal system on Islamic Sharia Law.
The Sudan is divided into 18 states.
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of the Sudan. It is also a state in the Sudan.
Alcohol is forbidden in the Sudan. When Sharia law was first enforced in 1983, the whole country’s stock of alcohol was poured into the Nile River.
The Sudan’s main natural resource is petroleum.
A serious environmental issue in the Sudan, is desertification due to over-exploitation of the soil through human activity and due to climate change.
Before the succession of South Sudan, the Sudan was the largest country in Africa.
There are substantial amounts of gold, silver, zinc, tungsten, chromium ore, iron ore, and copper in the Sudan.
The name Sudan is short for bilād as-sūdān, which in Arabic means “land of the Blacks.”
People can be sentenced to flogging for various crimes. In 2001, 53 Christians in the Sudan were flogged.
There is a group of almost 200 ancient pyramids, called the Meroë pyramids, after the Meroitic Kingdom that reigned over the area for over 900 years, in a desert in the eastern part of the Sudan. They were built over 2,000 years ago.
Approximately 200,000 human beings were forced into slavery in the Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War, which lasted from 1983-2005.
One of the Sudan’s main trading partners is the People’s Republic of China.
In the conflict between rebel groups in Darfur and the Sudanese government, that started in 2003 and ended in 2008, it is estimated that 300,000 or more people were killed.
Another legal, judicial punishment is stoning. Stoning usually happens to women for adultery.
Sandstorms called haboob, block out the sun in some of the drier areas of the Sudan.
In ancient times, the Sudan was called the Kingdom of Nubia.
The most popular sports in the Sudan are track and field and football.
In 1956, the Sudan hosted the first African Cup of Nations event for football.
The Blue Nile river and the White Nile river, flow through the Sudan and unite in the capital city of Khartoum. They then form the Nile River which flows into Egypt.
By far the most popular tourist attraction in the country, the Pyramids of Meroe are one of the last remaining symbols from an ancient civilization. Built by the Meroitic Pharaohs around 500 BC, the pyramids are different from their counterparts in neighboring Egypt. They display steep brick sides and appear in groups of 12. The site is not nearly as touristy as the Egyptian landmarks, and travelers won’t have to fight off tourist touts to see them. Travelers are permitted to enter the pyramids, in which ancient graffiti and hieroglyphics can be seen. The best time to visit is just before sunset when the sun illuminates the structures with a golden hue. The Pyramids of Meroe were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region comprise five archaeological sites on both sides of the Nile in an arid area considered part of Nubia. Together they cover an area more than 60 km (37 mi) long. The sites (Gebel Barkal, Kurru, Nuri, Sanam and Zuma) represent the Napatan (900 – 270 BC) and Meroitic (270 BC – 350 AD) cultures of the second kingdom of Kush. They include tombs, with and without pyramids, temples, burial mounds and chambers, living complexes and palaces. They exhibit an architectural tradition that shaped the political, religious, social and artistic scene of the Middle and Northern Nile Valley for more than 2000 years (1500 BC- 6th Century AD). Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.

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