Basic Data about Sudan:

Country Name:     The Republic of the Sudan
Area:                     2,506,000 square kilometers
Population:            37 million
Capital:                  Khartoum
Language:             Arabic & English
Currency:               Sudanese  Dinar  (SDD)
Timing :                 Three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Working Days :       The Government Offices open Saturday through   Thursday  with    office working  hours from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm .
Electric Supply :     The Electrical supply is 220 VAC-50/60 Hz
Climate :                 The Sudan lies within Africa's Tropical region. Its climate varies from the Equatorial climate on the South , the Savanna in the center and the Semi-desert and Desert in the North .It has summer rains except for the brief coast of the Red Sea, which has winter rains .
Khartoum Climate:   Khartoum, which is located in the Semi- desert climate zone, enjoys mild winters , with sunny days and cool evenings . Heavy winter clothes are not needed .  



◆［Geography］

Located on the north-east of  Africa, Sudan is the largest country in the continent. It is approximately 7 times the size of Japan .Not only covering a vast piece of land, but it is also a crossroad and a  bridge between the Mediterranean world, the Arabian world and Africa . The Greeks used to call the land beyond south of Egypt “Ethiopia”  meaning “the land of people with brown skin.”  This name later became “Sudan”  after it was translated into Arabic by the Arabs. Sudan, in those days, was the land between the present day Sudan to Senegal, the western parts of Africa. However, with the passing of time, it became the name of this country.
There are two Nile rivers running through Sudan. One is the White Nile, which flows from Lake Victoria below the Equator, and the Blue Nile, which flows from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Both Niles meet at the capital city of Khartoum and continues on as a great river to the borders of Egypt. With these two Niles and the vast river area, Sudan can truly be called “the Land of the Nile.” The natural environment of Sudan changes along the flow of the Nile River from the marshes and forests in the south, the river basin in the central region, and to the desert area in the north. As such, people and cultures with a variety of backgrounds emerged in each region.




◆［History］

Sudan  became independent in January 1956. It is  a country with a glorified history. The history of Sudan before the Stone Age is not known but the archeological studies on the existing relics and pyramids, which is the largest numbers(about 1,000) of pyramids in one country in the world, proves that in the year 2000BC Sudan was a prosperous empire with a sophisticated civilization. In the 9th century BC, the Kingdom of Kush flourished around the city of Napata, which occupied Egypt in 750 BC and established their 25th kingdom. The Kingdom of Kush  relocated its capital to Meroe, near the Fourth Cataract, in the middle of the 6th century BC, (hereinafter known as the Kingdom of Meroe), and strengthened its unique black African culture as it broke away from Egyptian influences. The people of the Kingdom of Meroe established settlements and lived by breeding livestock  and growing millet (grain) along the vast savannah of the Nile. Meroe was also an area that was the world's leading producer of iron. The city flourished economically with the robust trade of iron products to other countries and its influence permeated deep beyond the Sahara Desert and throughout Africa. Up to the 17th and 18th century, Sudan went through a series of historical transitions with the continuing invasion by other ethnic groups and the rise and fall of the kingdom but with the invasion by Egypt in 1820, a state self-government was established under a governor-general and the capital was moved to Khartoum. In 1881, Mohammed Ahmed Al - Mahdi, a religious leader, led a revolt against the Egyptian military successfully freed Sudan but was conquered again by General Kitchener of Britain in 1899 and a condominium Anglo-Egyptian government was formed. However, Egypt became independent from Britain in 1922 and with the revolution in Egypt in 1952, a movement arose in  Sudan  which lead to a  total independence in January 1956. Since then Sudan has steadily traveled the road to build a new nation in the African continent.

◆［Landmarks and memorials］

Sudan's charm lies in its geographical location and its diversity cultivated by the Nile, which flows through the northern and southern parts of the country. Not only does Sudan have natural resources, but  it also has various characteristics due to its people, culture and history.
Ancient historical relics recorded in the world heritage are scattered in the Nubian Desert lying in northern Sudan. The people living along the Nile are farmers. The extensive pasture land in the mid-western area of Sudan is a land of nomads. The high peaks of Jabal Marrah mountain range are located near the Chadian  boarder. Since  ancient times, Eastern Sudan, a mountainous area with the Red Sea stretching out along its border, prospered as the gateway to the Arabian Peninsula. The southern part of Sudan, which has great wetland called “the Sudd” and tropical rainforests, is a kingdom of wildlife and birds where people live on fishing and stockbreeding. The area surrounding the capital city of Khartoum, where the White and Blue Nile merge, is the political and economical center of Sudan and is part of the so-called the "Three Cities "  which also includes Omdurman, the ancient capital, and Khartoum Bahri, the industrial city. Visitors to Khartoum will enjoy the grand and beautiful view of the White and Blue Nile . 

 

The economy of Sudan has a big potentiality  including  oil resources ,  minerals , livestock and agriculture .

Economy, trade, industry

The most successful irrigation farming area lies  south of Khartoum,  surrounded by the White and Blue Nile and called Gezira, which  the largest farm in the world under one management. This project is operated jointly between the government, the management and the farmers. The main crop is cotton and the profits are a major contribution to the Sudan economy. Furthermore, a new 500, 000 acre irrigated land was developed with the completion of the Roseires Dam, and a 300, 000 acre arable block was created in el-Suki.  An agricultural area is developed  within 400 km east and south of Khartoum and  centered around the White and Blue Nile delta. Mechanized farms of 12 million acres in total are located between Kassala and Blue Nile regions.

The infrastructure is rapidly being implemented:

However, the major obstacle that hindered the agriculture of Sudan was the lack of infrastructure such as the means of transportation to connect the productive regions, the domestic consumption areas and the country main port "Port Sudan " . To solve that problem, the government exerted tremendous efforts to develop the sector of transportation along with the development of agriculture by completing an inland transportation network with the use of waterways and by expanding the highway network. Recently, Port Sudan has been expanded and  a new port was built  in Suakin. Approximately 50% of the export of agricultural goods is covered by good quality of fiber cotton as well as peanuts, sesame seeds and Gum Arabic. Export of livestock has also increased.

Promoting investment in developing industries and oil resources:

The bulk of Sudan industries is  centered in Khartoum area , known as the Three Cities. They are mainly privately operated manufacturers producing cotton seed oil, Textile, flour, automobile, cement, tobacco, chemical fertilizers, tannery, beverages, canned fruit, plywood and so forth, and are expanding into textile, jute, sugar and leather goods.		CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE
The government introduced the Development and Industrial Investment Encouragement Act in 1972 and 1990 to offer a diversity of special measures for domestic and international investors to promote investment and financial loans.

Most of the underground resources buried underneath the vast lands of Sudan have yet to be developed . There are potentials of  new resources to be discovered. The minerals that are presently being developed  in large quantities are iron ore, gold, chrome, magnetite, and sulphate. In addition, the rainforests in the southern region have potential in producing large quantities of lumber. There are prospects of growing tea and coffee on the forest land. Recently, the oil fields are attracting attention from domestic and international circles. Oil fields have been developed since 1975 on the eastern boarders of Sudan along the Red Sea, the mid-west, and the south. In 1992, a private corporation in Sudan began a full-fledged production of oil. The export of oil began in 1999 and one of the most important issues for the government is the investment towards the development of oil resources.

 Oil project ( Block 7 and 3 ).
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