57 Interesting Facts About Sudan

Last updated on March 20th, 2020

Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in

Northeast Africa. It has a total area of 1,861,484 square km.
Khartoum is its capital and largest city. Arabic and English are its
official languages. Sudanese pound (SDG) is its official currency.
Its land bordering countries are Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South
Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad and Libya.

Sudan is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the

Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-
Aligned Movement, as well as an observer in the World Trade
Organization. The National Assembly regulates the politics of Sudan.
And the legal system in the country is based on Islamic law. Let’s
learn more about this war-torn country with some interesting facts
covering various aspects from history and the present.

Interesting facts about Sudan’s history

1. The official name of Sudan is the Republic of the Sudan
(Jumhuriyat as-Sudan).

2. The name “Sudan” translates to “the land of the blacks” in

Arabic. It is taken from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān.

3. The independent state of the Republic of Sudan was born on July

9, 2011.

4. 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).

Sudan on the map

5. By 1945, two political parties had emerged in Sudan. One was

the National Unionist Party and the other was the Umma Party.

6. On January 1, 1956, Sudan gained independence from Egypt

and the UK.

7. 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.

8. The river Nile runs from the north to the south of Sudan.

9. 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.
10. Large numbers of refugees also entered Sudan from
neighboring countries such as Chad and Ethiopia.

Facts about Sudan for kids

11. January first is the national day in Sudan.

12. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation.

13. Deriba Caldera is the highest point in Sudan at an elevation

of 3,042 m, located in Darfur in the western part of Sudan.

14. The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is the lowest point in
Sudan.

<iframe
src="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_Pass_down_the_Red_
Sea.ogv?embedplayer=yes" width="722" height="480"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

15. 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.

16. The area occupied by Sudan is slightly more than one-quarter

the size of the United States, as per encyclopedia.com.

17. Twelve hundred people dive in the Red Sea in Sudan every

year.

18. With 114 native languages and more than 500 accents, Sudan
has a diverse multilingual population.

19. As per the CIA, the literacy rate for the total population of
Sudan is 75.9% (2015 est.).
20. After the formation of South Sudan, the size of Sudan was
reduced by 25%.

21. In 2016, 26.4% of the population of Sudan uses the internet.

22. Sudan has one doctor for every 10,000 people.

https://maps.google.com/maps?
ll=15.220432,30.517889&z=5&t=m&hl=en&gl=IN&mapclient=embed&q=Sudan

Flag of Sudan

<img class="wp-image-1692 size-full" src="https://thefactfile-

lxh7vfdm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Flag-of-
Sudan.jpg" alt="Flag of Sudan" width="600" height="300"
srcset="https://thefactfile-lxh7vfdm.stackpathdns.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/Flag-of-Sudan.jpg 600w,
https://thefactfile-lxh7vfdm.stackpathdns.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/04/Flag-of-Sudan-300x150.jpg 300w"
sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />Flag of Sudan. Image
credit – CIA

Some important statistics

23. The majority of children die before reaching the age of five.

24. As per nationmaster.com, the employment rate for adults in

Sudan is 47.3.

25. As per the 2008 World Refugee Survey, 310,500 refugees

and asylum seekers lived in Sudan in 2007.

26. 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.

27. There are approximately 50,000 deaf people in Sudan.

28. Sudan is a net importer of food.

29. Sudan has a total border length of 6,751 kilometers.

. . . continue reading on the next page