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). The name “Sudan” translates to “the land of the blacks” in Arabic. It is taken from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān.
Geological facts
Name: Republic of the Sudan
Capital: Khartoum
Government: Federal provisional government
Language: Arabic and English
Area: 1,886,068 km2 (728,215 sq mi) (15th)
Population: 44,909,353 (2021)
Currency: Sudanese pound (SDG)
The history of Sudan includes that of both the territory that composes Republic of the Sudan, South Sudan as well as that of a larger region known by the term "Sudan". The modern Republic of Sudan was formed in 1956 and inherited its boundaries from Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, established in 1899.
The early history of the Kingdom of Kush, located along the Nile region in what is now northern Sudan, is intertwined with the history of ancient Egypt, with which it was politically allied over several regnal eras. By virtue of its proximity to Egypt, the Sudan participated in the wider history of the Near East, with the most popular episodes being the 25th dynasty and the Christianization of the three Nubian kingdoms Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia in the sixth century. While Islam was already present in the Sudanese Red Sea coast and the adjacent territories since the 7th century, the Nile Valley did not undergo formal Islamization until the 14th-15th century, following the decline of the Christian kingdoms. The kingdoms were succeeded by the Sultanate of Sennar in the early 16th century, which controlled large parts of the Nile Valley and the Eastern Desert, while the kingdoms of Darfur controlled the western part of Sudan. Two small kingdoms arose in the southern regions, the Shilluk Kingdom of 1490, and Taqali of 1750, near modern-day South Sudan, but both northern and southern regions were soon seized by Muhammad Ali of Egypt during the 1820s. Resentment toward the oppressive rule of Muhammad Ali and his immediate successors is credited for stirring up resentment toward the Turco-Egyptian rulers that contributed to the Sudanese struggle for independence led by Muhammad Ahmad in 1881.
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).
(Source: Wikipedia)
Did you know...
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.
There are more pyramids in one small section of the northern Sudanese desert than there are in the whole of Egypt.
Sudan had one of the first and most active women’s movements in the African and Arab world during the 1960s–70s. It became the first country to have a female parliamentarian in Africa and the Middle East (1965) and female Minister of Health (1974). Sudan is also the first Muslim and Arab country to have female as a judge, cinematographer, football referee, army members and police officers.
Deriba Caldera is the highest point in Sudan at an elevation of 3,042 m, located in Darfur in the western part of Sudan.
The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is the lowest point in Sudan. Twelve hundred people dive in the Red Sea in Sudan every year.
Northern Sudan is very dry and prone to intense dust storms called haboobs that can black out the sun and cut visibility down to zero.
Sudan is the world’s largest producer (80%) of gum arabic. It is a binding substance found in gum, shampoo, soft drinks, marshmallows, and many other common products.
(Sources: TheFactFile.org and OnHisOwnTrip.com)
The book I read
Season of Migration to the North by Tayyib Salih
Translator: Denys Johnson-Davies
Synopsis: When a young man returns to his village in the Sudan after many years studying in Europe, he finds that among the familiar faces there is now a stranger - the enigmatic Mustafa Sa'eed. As the two become friends, Mustafa tells the younger man the disturbing story of his own life in London after the First World War. Lionized by society and desired by women as an exotic novelty, Mustafa was driven to take brutal revenge on the decadent West and was, in turn, destroyed by it. Now the terrible legacy of his actions has come to haunt the small village at the bend of the Nile.
I liked the writing style of this book, but I didn't love the story as much as I expected. I did like that I learned about a country I knew close to nothing about before 'traveling' there.
About the author
Tayyib Salih was born in Karmakol, a village on the Nile near Al Dabbah, Sudan, in the Northern Province of Sudan. He graduated from University of Khartoum with a Bachelor of Science, before leaving for the University of London in the United Kingdom. Coming from a background of small farmers and religious teachers, his original intention was to work in agriculture. However, excluding a brief spell as a schoolmaster before moving to England, he worked in journalism and the promotion of international cultural exchange.
Other book recommendations for Sudan
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Souvenir
I found this wooden puzzle of a Sudan pyramid. It looks quite hard, with basically only two colours in it. Are you up for the challenge?
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