Sudan
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of the Sudan
Country name - conventional short form : Sudan
Country name - local long form : Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
Country name - local short form : As-Sudan
Country name - former : Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Government type : 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 in 2009
Capital - name : Khartoum
Capital - time difference : UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Population : 40,218,456 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Sudanese (singular and plural)
Nationality - adjective : Sudanese
Currency (code) : Sudanese pounds (SDG)
Currency code : SDD
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Major infectious diseases - note : highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Sudan is located Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea. The climate is tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November). The terrain is generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : 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 four million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than two 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 two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2008, 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.
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