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Sudan

geography Maturity 11-13 religion war conflict politics
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Sudan is a big country.

Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
It is in Africa. It is near the Red Sea. Much of the land is very dry. Many people live there. Can you find it on a map?

40 words

Sudan is a big country in Africa.

Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
It sits near the Red Sea. Many lands are near it, like Egypt and Chad.

Much of the land is very dry. This makes it hard for many people to find water.

Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg

Long ago, great kings lived there. They built many tall pyramids.

Today, many people live in the city of Khartoum. The country has many different groups of people.

Sudan has a very long history.

81 words

Sudan is a large country in Northeast Africa.

Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
It sits near the Red Sea. Many lands border it. Egypt is to the north. Chad is to the west. South Sudan is to the south. The capital city is Khartoum. It is also the biggest city.
Sudan independence 2.png
Sudan independence 2.png

Sudan has a very long history. Long ago, the Kingdom of Kush was a great power. The people of Kush built many tall pyramids. These pyramids are still seen today in places like Meroe.

Today, life in Sudan can be hard. Much of the land is very dry. This makes it difficult for people to find water.

Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Many people live in poverty. The country has also faced many wars. There have been fights between different groups for a long time. Since 2023, a new civil war has been happening. This war is between two groups of soldiers. The fighting makes life very difficult for many people in the country.

163 words

Sudan is a very large country in Northeast Africa.

Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
It is the third-largest country on the continent by area. The land covers over 1.8 million square kilometres. Many different lands touch its borders. Egypt sits to the north of Sudan. To the west is Chad, and to the southwest is the Central African Republic. The Red Sea lies along its eastern edge. To the south, it borders South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
The most crowded city is the capital, Khartoum.

History in this region began a very long time ago.

Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
Some very old camps were found that are 50,000 years old. Later, people lived in villages made of mud bricks. They hunted, fished, and raised cattle near the Nile. One famous group was the Kerma culture, which lasted from 2500 BC to 1500 BC.
Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
They built a large empire that was a rival to Egypt. Ancient Egyptians even ruled parts of this land for a long time. This history includes many different cultures and powerful kingdoms.

The Kingdom of Kush was another great power in Sudan. This kingdom was centered where the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers meet. The Kushite kings were even powerful enough to rule as pharaohs in Egypt. They built many beautiful pyramids that still stand today. You can see these in places like Meroe. These pyramids were built between 800 BC and 100 AD. The Kushites were also known for being skilled archers. This era was a time of great strength and building.

Sudan has seen many changes in how it is ruled. For a long time, different groups like the Funj sultanate held power. Later, Egypt and the United Kingdom shared control of the land. This period is often called a condominium. Sudan finally became an independent state on 1 January 1956.

Sudan independence 2.png
Sudan independence 2.png
Since then, the country has faced many difficult times. There have been different wars between groups in the north and the south. These conflicts eventually led to the creation of South Sudan in 2011.

Life in Sudan today faces many hard challenges.

Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Much of the land is very dry and hot. This makes it hard to find enough water for everyone. Because of this, Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy relies a lot on farming.
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Since 2023, a third civil war has been happening. This war is between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
War in Sudan (2023).svg
War in Sudan (2023).svg
This fighting makes life very difficult for the 51.8 million people living there.

447 words

Sudan is a large country located in Northeast Africa.

Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
It is the third-largest country on the African continent by land area. The nation covers 1,886,068 square kilometres. Sudan shares borders with several different countries and bodies of water. Egypt lies to the north of the country. To the west is Chad, and the Central African Republic is to the southwest. The Red Sea forms the eastern border. To the southeast, Sudan borders Eritrea and Ethiopia. To the south, it sits next to South Sudan. The capital city is Khartoum, which is also the most populous city.
Map of Sudan (New).jpg
Map of Sudan (New).jpg

The history of this region stretches back tens of thousands of years. Archaeological sites like Affad 23 show evidence of prehistoric camps. Some of these sites are approximately 50,000 years old. As the Sahara Desert began to dry, people migrated into the Nile Valley. These Neolithic people lived in fortified villages made of mud bricks. They practiced a sedentary way of life. They gathered grain and raised cattle. They also hunted and fished along the Nile River. This cultural mixing led to the rise of the Kingdom of Kerma around 2500 BC.

Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg

The Kerma culture was a major early civilization in ancient Nubia. It flourished from about 2500 BC until 1500 BC. This polity was centered in what is now northern and central Sudan. At its peak, the Kerma empire was a powerful rival to Egypt. During the Egyptian New Kingdom, Egypt expanded its control southward. Egyptian kings like Thutmose I led military campaigns to occupy Kush. This resulted in the annexation of Nubia into the Egyptian empire. For many years, Nubia served as a vital province for Egypt. It was an important economic and political center.

After the decline of the New Kingdom, the Kingdom of Kush emerged.

Sudan Meroe Pyramids 2001.JPG
Sudan Meroe Pyramids 2001.JPG
This powerful Nubian state was centered near the meeting of the Blue Nile and White Nile. The Kushite kings were highly influential in the region. In the eighth century BC, King Kashta invaded Egypt. This allowed Kushite kings to rule as pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. At its height, the empire stretched from South Kordofan to the Sinai. The Kushites also built many impressive structures. They constructed numerous Nubian pyramids between 800 BC and 100 AD. These include sites at El-Kurru, Gebel Barkal, and Meroe.

Sudan's political landscape changed many times through the centuries. Following the fall of Kush, Christian kingdoms like Nobatia and Makuria formed. Later, Arab nomads settled much of the area during the 14th and 15th centuries. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, different groups held power. The Funj sultanate ruled central and eastern areas. The Darfur region was ruled separately. In the 19th century, Egypt conquered the entire territory. Later, the United Kingdom and Egypt shared sovereignty through a condominium. This meant Sudan was effectively a British possession.

Sudan gained its independence on 1 January 1956.

Sudan independence 2.png
Sudan independence 2.png
However, the new nation faced many internal struggles. Conflicts arose over religion, language, and political power. A civil war between the north and south lasted from 1955 to 1972. A second civil war also occurred between government forces and southern rebels. This long period of instability eventually led to the independence of South Sudan in 2011.
Southern Sudan Referendum1.jpg
Southern Sudan Referendum1.jpg
Between 1989 and 2019, Omar al-Bashir led a military dictatorship. His regime was responsible for widespread human rights abuses. This included ethnic genocide in Darfur from 2003 to 2020. During this time, an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people were killed.
Government Militia in Darfur.PNG
Government Militia in Darfur.PNG

Today, Sudan faces significant economic and social challenges. The country is classified as a least developed nation. It ranks 170th on the Human Development Index. The economy relies heavily on agriculture. This is due to international sanctions and a history of instability. Much of the land is very dry, which creates water stress.

Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg
Over 60% of the population lives in poverty. Since 2023, a third civil war has begun. This conflict is fought between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
War in Sudan (2023).svg
War in Sudan (2023).svg
This ongoing fighting continues to affect the lives of millions of people.

712 words
🖼️ Images & Media (38)
Sudanese national anthem, performed by...
File:Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
Western Deffufa - Kerma.jpg
File:Fortress of the Middle Kingdom, reconstructed under the New Kingdom ( about 1200 B.C.).jpg
Fortress of the Middle Kingdom,...
File:Nubian Prince Hekanefer bringing tribute for King Tut, 18th dynasty, Tomb of Huy.jpg
Nubian Prince Hekanefer bringing tribute...
File:Sudan Meroe Pyramids 2001.JPG
Sudan Meroe Pyramids 2001.JPG
File:Xerxes detail Ethiopian.jpg
Xerxes detail Ethiopian.jpg
File:Christian Nubia.png
Christian Nubia.png
File:King Moses George of Makuria.jpg
King Moses George of Makuria.jpg
File:Sennar mosque (cropped).jpg
Sennar mosque (cropped).jpg
File:Southern Sudan - 1800.png
Southern Sudan - 1800.png
File:Egypt under Muhammad Ali Dynasty map en.png
Egypt under Muhammad Ali Dynasty map en.png
File:Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi.jpg
Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi.jpg

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