|RNational holiday:|N Independence Day, January 1.
|RNature and climate:|N The greater part of the country is a lowlandplateau crossed by River Nile and many of its subsidaries. This plateau is bordered in west, south and east by highlands and mountainchains, with a highest peak, Mount Kinyeti at the border to Uganda, reaching 3187 m.a.s.l.
Average temperature in January 20°C in the north and 25°C in the south. Average temperature in July 27°C in the north and 35°C in the south.
Percipitation 1500 mm in the south and not more than 50 mm in the north.
Vegetation varies with the percipitation. Tropical rainforests in the south and vast deserts in the north.
|REconomy:|N Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Agriculture occupies 80% of the population, but has not been able to give exportrevenues enough to develop the economy. The most important crops are cotton, sorghum, peanuts, sesame, rubber and wheat. Cotton, sesame, rubber and peanuts are exported, but Sudan is not able to produce food enough for the population. In some areas agriculture is mechanized and effective, but in most areas it is run as self-subsistent farms.
Manufacturing is poorly developed and most important are cottonmills, textilefactories and cementfactories.
There are some, but not rich, mineral resources. The most important are oil, iron ore, copper, chromium, zinc and natural gas.
|RHistory:|N In ancient times the northern part of todays Sudan was the realm of Nubia, which was loosely controlled by Egypt. In the southern parts a number of tribes live, they were controlled by no one but frequently invaded by slavehunters from the north.
In the 16th century the whole area was united in a country called Funj. The northern part if this was conquered by Egypt 1821. The Egyptians expanded southwards and in 1874 they had conquered the whole Funj. In 1881 a movement was founded with the aim to free Sudan from Egypt and in 1885 the capital Khartoum was liberated. Egypt succeeded, with British help, to restore order in 1898. One year later Sudan was made a condominion, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, with shared British and Egyptian sovereignty.
In 1945 Egypt claimed full sovereignty over Sudan but instead Great Britain and Egypt in 1953 agreed to let Sudan become an independent country, which was effected in 1956.
Since independence the political scene has been marked by the tension between the Arabic/Muslim majority in the north and the black minority in the south. Short democratic periods have been followed by longer periods with military regimes. These tensions also have caused long and bloody civil wars.
In 1985 severe drought hit Sudan. Millions of people starved to death and the situation got worse when millions of refugees came from war-torned neighbouring Chad and Ethiopia. At the same time the Muslim government increased the tension on the non-muslim people in the south.
An extensive international aid against famine has been given Sudan through the years, but in 1991 the UN withdrew all help referring to the fact that the non-muslim people in the south got no part of the help.
In 1992 the government with help of troops from Iran and weapons from China forced all armed guerillagroups out of the country.
