|
Sudan
is situated in North East Africa. It is the
largest country in Africa and the region of the
Middle-East. It shares common borders with nine
countries - Egypt and Libya in the North, Chad and
Central African Republic in the West, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya in the South,
Ethiopia and Eritrea in the East. It also
neighbors the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across the
Red Sea. With an area of one million square miles,
Sudan is among the ten largest countries in the
world.
Capital:
Khartoum. It lies at the confluence of two great
rivers, the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
Climate:
Sudan lies within the African tropical zone. Its
climate varies from equatorial in its most
southern parts, Savanna in the centre, and
continental in the northern parts. The period from
March to June is the hottest part of the year with
temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius during
the day and 27 degrees Celsius at night. But the
temperature gradually begins to decline when it
starts raining from July to October. From November
to February, which is the best time of the year in
the country, temperatures range between 16 to 30
degrees Celsius with beautiful warm sunshine
during daytime hours.
The People:
The Sudanese people are descendants of various
ethnic groups, which settled or migrated to Sudan
in different historical eras and intermingled to
create a multifaceted heritage, Afro-Arab
cultures.
According to the 1998 census, the population of
Sudan is 33 million. Seventy percent of the
country's people are engaged in the agricultural
sector.
Religion:
Islam is the religion of the majority in Sudan. A
portion of the population is Christian as well as
followers of customary creeds.
Main Exports:
Sudan exports many products, mainly agricultural
and processed agricultural goods, cotton and
cotton waste, Gum Arabic and its semi-processed
form - guar gum, sesame seeds, groundnuts,
sunflower, edible oils, oil cakes and meal,
sorghum (Dura), livestock, meat, semi-processed
leather, gold, mica, marble, asbestos, chromium,
fruits (mango, grape, guava, lemon, banana, dates,
melon etc), vegetables (onion, garlic, beans),
spices, fresh vegetables, medicinal herbs (senna
pods, henna etc), hibiscus flowers, melon seeds,
sugar and molasses etc.
Major Towns and Cities:
Among the most important Sudanese towns is Port
Sudan. It is the capital of the Red Sea State and
as its name connotes, it is the country's major
seaport as well. Then there is Wad Medani, capital
of Gezire State, Al Obeid in North Kordofan State,
besides Juba, Malakal and Wau in the south. Other
important towns and cities include Dongola, Karima,
Nyala, Alfasher.
Language:
Arabic is the official language. English is also
widely used and spoken.
Currency:
The Sudanese Dinar is the basic currency unit (257
Sudanese Dinar = l US Dollar).
Form of Government:
Sudan is a federal union of 26 states with its
capital at Khartoum. It is governed at three
levels: federal, state and district. The country
is ruled by a presidential system and a parliament
based on free elections and a multi-party system.
Time Zone:
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) + two hours.
Office Hours:
Government circles and banks open at 7:30 a.m. and
close down at 2:30 p.m - from Saturday through
Thursday. Friday is the official weekly holiday.
Banking Hours:
Banks transact business from 8 in the morning
until 12:30 in the afternoon.
Shopping and Commercial Centres: Shopping and
commercial centres usually open at 8 in the
morning and close at 3 p.m. They re-open from 5-9
p.m.
Weights and Measures:
The metric system (metre, kilogram etc) is widely
used. The feddan is the customary unit of land
measurement. One feddan = 4,200 sq.m. = 1.038 acre
= 0.42 hectare.
Entry Visas:
Entry to Sudan is through visas, which can be
obtained from its embassies or accredited
consulates. The country's Investment Authority may
also obtain entry visas for any investment
delegation that wishes to visit Sudan.
|
