Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
🗺️

Juba

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Juba is the capital and largest city of South Sudan.

Sudan Juba Hotel 1936
Sudan Juba Hotel 1936

It also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. The city is situated on the banks of the White Nile. It functions as a river port for the region. Juba is the most recently declared national capital in the world. In 2017, the city had a population of 525,953 people.

Sudan Juba bridge
Sudan Juba bridge

The metropolitan area covers a much larger space than the city center.

The city began as a small Bari village also named Juba. In 1920 and 1921, the Church Missionary Society established a mission there. They also created the Nugent Memorial Intermediate School. Anglo-Egyptian officials later chose this site for a new town. They wanted to create a capital for the Mongalla Province. The location was ideal because of its proximity to river transportation. Major construction for the new city was underway by 1927. Traders from Rejaf moved to the city in 1929. By 1930, the Governor's office of Mongalla moved to Juba.

Greek merchants played a central role in the early development of the city. They arrived in the early 1920s to supply the British Army. There were never more than 2,000 Greek merchants in Juba. However, they built many important structures in the downtown Juba Market area. They also built in the area known as the Greek Quarter. This area is known today as the suburb of Hai Jalaba. Many of these original structures are still standing. Greek merchants built the Juba Hotel in the mid-1930s. They also constructed the Central Bank building in the mid-1940s. Other buildings they built include the Ivory Bank and the Paradise Hotel.

Juba has a long history of political change. Under the Khedivate of Egypt, it was a southern garrison for the Egyptian army. Soldiers there often faced diseases like malaria, meningitis, and blackwater fever. Explorers Samuel and Florence Baker used the nearby island of Gondokoro as a base. They used it during expeditions from 1863 to 1873. In 1946, the British began a policy to unite northern and southern Sudan. This led to the Juba Conference. The city saw heavy fighting during the Second Sudanese Civil War. In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement made Juba the capital of the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan.

The city grew very rapidly after the peace agreement was signed. Between 2006 and 2011, the population rose from 250,000 to one million. This growth turned the city into an amalgamation of many villages. Many refugees and returnees moved there to live. This period also saw ethnic tensions regarding land distribution. Juba became the national capital of South Sudan on 9 July 2011. This followed the country's independence from the Republic of the Sudan. Some officials felt the city was not suitable as a permanent capital. The government announced a plan to move the capital to Ramciel. This new city would be 250 km away from Juba.

Transportation in Juba is a complex system of air, water, and land. The city is the southern terminus for traffic on the Bahr-al-Ghazal portion of the White Nile.

Sudan Juba bridge
Sudan Juba bridge

Juba International Airport is a vital hub for the country. It handles many flights for the United Nations and various non-governmental organizations. Daily flights connect Juba to Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Entebbe, and Wau. The airport terminal construction has faced delays due to changing oil prices. On land, many roads are unpaved and difficult to travel. A long rainy season lasts from March until October. This season makes road repairs very difficult and slow.

Infrastructure and governance continue to evolve in the city. The Juba City Council was formed in March 2011. It manages the city's administration and services. The council works alongside neighborhood authorities appointed by ethnic groups. However, many of these informal offices became defunct by late 2017. The city also faces challenges from recent conflicts. A tanker explosion in 2015 killed nearly 200 people. Recent conflicts have brought approximately 6,000 refugees to the city. Many of these people have settled in the Gorom area. They often struggle due to a lack of humanitarian aid.

689 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (2)
File:Sudan Juba Hotel 1936.jpg
Sudan Juba Hotel 1936.jpg
File:Sudan Juba bridge.jpg
Sudan Juba bridge.jpg
More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.