About Sudan
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About Khartoum
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Sudan (Arabic: السودان as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan (Arabic: جمهورية السودان Jumhūrīyat as-Sūdān), is a country in north-east Africa. 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. It is the third largest country in Africa. The River Nile divides the country into eastern and western halves. Its predominant religion is Islam.
Sudan was home to numerous ancient civilizations, such as the Kingdom of Kush, Kerma, Nobatia, Alodia, Makuria, Meroë and others, most of which flourished along the Nile. During the pre-dynastic period Nubia and Nagadan Upper Egypt were identical, simultaneously evolved systems of pharaonic kingship by 3300 BC. By virtue of its proximity to Egypt, the Sudan participated in the wider history of the Near East inasmuch as it was Christianized by the 6th century, and Islamized in the 15th. |
Khartoum (/kɑːrˈtuːm/ kar-TOOM) is the capital and second largest city of Sudan and Khartoum state. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile, flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran" المقرن, meaning the confluence. The main Nile continues to flow north towards Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Divided by the Niles, Khartoum is a tripartite metropolis with an estimated overall population of over five million people, consisting of Khartoum proper, and linked by bridges to Khartoum North (الخرطوم بحري al-Kharṭūm Baḥrī) and Omdurman (أم درمان Umm Durmān) to the west. The origin of the word Khartoum is uncertain. One theory argues that khartoum is derived from Arabic kharṭūm خرطوم meaning 'trunk' or 'hose', probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles. |
Fun facts
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Historical background
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Fact 1
Sudan comprises of a vast desert which is prone to periodic draughts and dust storms. This is even though the Nile runs right through the country from the north to the south, dominating the northern portion. Fact 2 The climate is more tropical in the mountainous southern regions as against the northern plains, which are arid desert. Fact 3 The nine countries that border Sudan are Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea. Fact 4 Nearly 95,000 children in southern Sudan under the age of five died in the year 2012 from diseases that could have been prevented has the proper precautions been taken. Fact 5 The official languages spoken in the country are English and Arabic though the locals speak over a hundred different languages. Fact 6 The ox-driven water wheel that has been in operation since 400 BC still plays a vital role in the economy of the country Fact 7 South Sudan is predominantly Christian with a tribal government, while North Sudan is governed according to the Islamic Sharia law. 1st January, 1956 is celebrated as the National Day. Fact 8 The adult literacy rate of Sudan is 69%. More number of girls die during childbirth or pregnancy than when trying to complete their primary school. Fact 9 The natural resources include copper, chromium ore, petroleum, zinc, small reserves of iron ore, hydropower and mica, tungsten, silver and gold. Fact 10 Sudan suffers from inadequate portable water supplies, which gives rise to problems such as periodic droughts, soil erosion and desertification. Due to excessive hunting, the wildlife population is threatened. |
Since its independence in 1956, the history of Sudan has been plagued by internal conflict, viz. the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005), culminating in the secession of South Sudan on 9 July 2011, and the War in Darfur (2003-2010).
On 31 August 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 to send a new peacekeeping force of 17,300 to Darfur. In the following months, however, UNMIS was not able to deploy to Darfur due to the Government of the Sudan’s steadfast opposition to a peacekeeping operation undertaken solely by the United Nations. The UN then embarked on an alternative, innovative approach to try to begin stabilize the region through the phased strengthening of AMIS, before transfer of authority to a joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping operation. Following prolonged and intensive negotiations with the Government of the Sudan and significant international pressure, the Government of the Sudan finally accepted the peacekeeping operation in Darfur. In 2009 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir, accusing him of crimes against humanity and war crimes. In 2009 and 2010 a series of conflicts between rival nomadic tribes in South Kordofan caused a large number of casualties and displaced thousands. South Sudanese independence referendum, 2011, an agreement for the restoration of harmony between Chad and Sudan, was signed January 15, 2010, and marked the end of a five-year war between them. The Sudanese government and the JEM signed a ceasefire agreement ending the Darfur conflict in February, 2010. In January 2011 referendum on independence for Southern Sudan was held, and the South voted overwhelmingly to secede later that year as the Republic of South Sudan, with its capital at Juba and Kiir Mayardit as its first president. Al-Bashir announced that he accepted the result, but violence soon erupted in the disputed region of Abyei, claimed by both the North and the South. On June 6, 2011 armed conflict broke out in South Kordofan between the forces of Northern and Southern Sudan, ahead of the scheduled independence of the South on July 9. This followed an agreement for both sides to withdraw from Abyei. On June, 20 of the parties agreed to demilitarize the contested area of Abyei where Ethiopian peacekeepers will be deployed. On July 9, 2011 South Sudan became an independent country. |
Video Story .......
Watch this You Tube video on the right to get a glimpse of life in Sudan.
Very few people ever get the opportunity to set foot in Sudan. No tourist visas are issued. |
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