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| Map of Sudan |
The reason why Sudan borders many other countries is that it is the largest nation in Africa and the tenth largest country on Earth. Its area is 2,505,810 square kilometers, about one-third the size of the United States without Alaska!
The Nile River flows through Sudan. In fact, the Nile travels a greater path within Sudan than in Egypt. Sudan's capital, Khartoum, lies at the junction of two major branches of the Nile, the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
The northern part of Sudan is a desert region, just like Egypt. But much of the country lies within the so-called Sudan grass belt, and the southern part of the nation is a land of swamps and tropical forests. The people living in the northern part of the country are Muslims and speak Arabic.
In the southern part, where there are few Muslims, more than 30 African languages are spoken. A civil war between the north and south of the country lasted for 17 years before ending in the early 1970s.
The northern part of Sudan was known as Nubia by the ancient Egyptians. It was said to contain large gold mines. In the 19th century, the joint British-Egyptian rule over the country led to the region being known as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.
Then, in 1948, the people of this territory voted to decide whether to join Egypt or become an independent country. The Sudanese opted for independence, and Sudan became a nation by right in 1956.
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