02--Africa--Sudan

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=Geographical Profile/ Political Information =

=Economic Information =
 * **Relative and Absolute Location: **-Relative= Borders with the Red Sea. Neighbors: Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Uganda.-Absolute= 15 00 N, 13 00 E. Situated in Northern Africa
 * **Distance and direction from Lancaster, PA:** Northeast then Southeast. Distance is 10295 kilometers or 6374 miles
 * **Size and Comparative size to other countries in your region:** Sudan is the largest country on the continent, covering an area of 2,505,810 sq km (967,499 sq mi), with a length of 2,192 km (1,362 mi) SSE – NNW and a width of 1,880 km (1,168 mi) ENE – WSW . Central African Republic (1,165 kilometers, 724 miles), Chad (1,360 kilometers, 845 miles), Democratic Republic of the Congo (628 kilometers, 390 miles), Egypt (1,273 kilometers, 791 miles), Eritrea (650 kilometers, 404 miles), Ethiopia (1,606 kilometers, 998 miles), Kenya (232 kilometers, 144 miles), Libya (383 kilometers, 238 miles), and Uganda (435 kilometers, 270 miles)
 * **Climate:** Sudan has a tropical climate. Seasonal variations are most sharply defined in the desert zones, where winter temperatures as low as 4.4 C (about 40 F) are common, particularly after sunset. Summer temperatures often exceed 43.3 C (about 110 F) in the desert zones, and rainfall is negligible. Dust storms, called haboobs, frequently occur.
 * **Major physical features:** fertile Nile valley separates Libyan Desert in west from high rocky Nubian Desert in east. The country is mostly a vast plain, broken by several mountain ranges; the Jebel Marra in western Sudan is the highest range, but the highest mountain is Mount Kinyeti Imatong, near the border with Uganda. The Blue and White Niles meet in Khartoum to form the Nile, which flows northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
 * **Major Cultural Characteristics:** Oral tradition, literary expression through poetry, painting, weaving, pottery making, song, archaeological sites, observes both Muslim and Christian holidays (One of the most popular religious festivals is that of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday), most popular sport is football (soccer). Common foods include kidney beans, chicken, beef, various greens and //asida//, a thick porridge made from cornmeal flour and water. Foods are eaten from the right hand using a flat bread called //tamiem.// Family is more important than the individual and more influential than nationality and religion. High expectations put to women.
 * **Major Cities (Capital included):** Khartoum (Capital), Juba, Wow, Boor, Tonge, Malakai, Nyala, Kosthi, Atbra, Abeey, Omdurman, Kassala
 * **Type of Government:** Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulated national elections in 2009, but these were subsequently rescheduled for April 2010
 * **Head of State/ Head of Government:** President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)
 * **Global Organizations (that we studied):** WTO

 · **Currency and Exchange rate against the U.S. Dollar**- 2.34 in 2009 · **Natural Resources**- petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower ((1. Oil Production: 480,200 bbl/day (2008 est.); 2. Natural Gas proved reserves: 84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.))) · **Agricultural Products**- cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock · **Industries**- oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly · **Imports and Import Partners-** 1. Oil Imports: 11,400 bbl/day (2007 est.); 2. Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m (2008 est.); 3. Imports: $6.823 billion (2009 est.); 4. Imports commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat; 5. Import Partners: China 20.3%, Saudi Arabia 8.5%, UAE 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, India 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2008); 6. Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.) · **Export and Export Partners-** 1. Exports: $8.464 billion (2009 est.); 2. Exports commodities: oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar; 3. Export Partners: China 48%, Japan 32.2%, Indonesia 5.3% (2008); 4. Oil Exports: 303,800 bbl/day (2007 est.); 5. Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.); 6. Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2008 est.) · **GDP and GDP per capita-** 1. GDP(official exchange rate): $54.29 billion (2009 est.); 2. GDP per capita: $2,300 (2009 est.) · **HDI and HDI Ranking-** 1. Rank: 150; HDI: 0.531 · **Unemployment Rate-** 18.7% (2002 est.)

=Population Information =

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> · **Current Population-**41,087,825 (July 2009 est.) · **Population density –**ranked 29 in comparison to other countries · **Natural Rate of Increase (NRI)-** 2.143% · **Divide 70 by the NRI percentage (how long it will take for Sudan’s pop. to double in size)-**3.06x10^-5 · **Literacy Rate-** 61.1% · **Infant Mortality Rate(out of 1000 births)-** 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births · **Life Expectancy-** 51.42 years · **Physical Quality of Life Index( look to packet)-** 26.092 · **Ethnic Groups(with percentages)-** black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1% · **Chief religions(with percentages)-** Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25% · **Main language-**Arabic (official), English (official)
 * Age Distribution-**0-14 years: 40.7% (male 8,535,551/female 8,173,616)15-64 years: 56.8% (male 11,745,683/female 11,603,906) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 532,968/female 496,101) (2009 est.)

=<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Human Rights Information =

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Due to its large size and history as an Africa powerhouse, Sudan remains a country affected by serious human rights issues that have yet to be resolved. From 2001 on, the Sudanese government’s human rights record has remained terribly poor- despite a number of improvements. The government has been committing serious abuses, including abuses in conflict settings, ethnic cleansing, slavery, even child soldiers and prisoner abuse. Unfortunately, citizens do not have the right to change their government peacefully and as a result become victims of violence. In fact, government security forces and pro-government militias continue to act with impunity. They have been responsible for extrajudicial killings, as confirmed by reports of disappearances as well as eight confirmed abductions of NGO workers by forces and militias during the year. Interestingly enough, in response to increased critical scrutiny by the international community, reports of torture have been less frequent than in previous years. However, security forces have beat refugees, reportedly raped women abducted during raids, and on occasion harassed and detained people on the basis of their religion.

In another way, prison conditions remain harsh and life-threatening. This fact combined with the little to no judicial reviews under law translates into an overall corrupted system. Also, the judiciary continues to be subservient to the government. In the name of freedom, there truly is none. The government has severely restricted freedom of speech and of the press, repeatedly suspended publications that criticized or disagreed with the government line, and harassed and detained journalists. On a larger scale, the government has been restricting the activities of human rights groups in the investigation of abuses in the country. This fact leads to the obvious: the continuation of forced labor (including children), abduction of women and children, slavery, trafficking, and much more.

To this day, flogging of women remains a daily behavioral risk for the country as a whole. Sudanese women face arbitrary arrest in public of private settings for "indecent or immoral behavior or dress." The punishments for these minuscule dress upsets are dehumanizing, cruel and overall degrading. For instance, according to article 152 of the Sudanese Criminal Act of 1991, such behavior amounts to up to 40 lashes as punishment. However, in recent year judges have even exceeded the legal punished women and girls by up to 50 lashes! Action is now being regularly taken in order to persuade the Sudanese government to repeal article 152.

Overall, the conflict zones in Sudan are complex, and include issues recently such as competition over resources (including oil reserves), power, and the nature of the state itself. In fact, Sudan has the largest population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the world, as six million people have been forced from their homes. Among groups of the population being most affected are the extremely poor and women/children. To elaborate, thousands of women and children have been abducted and/or raped, and thousands more children have been forced into combat roles. In the end, Sudan is a republic governed according to the power-sharing arrangement established by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This agreement ended the 22-year civil war between the north and south and established an interim Government of National Unity (GNU). Although this has changed many human rights violations in Sudan, it has yet to solve the more pressing issues today.

=<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Environmental Information =

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Environmental issues affect all aspects of life in the country of Sudan, whether the majority of people are aware of it or not. There are many causes for the recent environmental problems all over Sudan, which can be summarized quite simply with the fact that there is total neglect for the impacts of agricultural policies, limited perception of environmental issues, the absence of an acceptable strategic master land use plan, the depletion of natural resources, and finally the unchecked population growth due to the lack of a coherent Population policy.

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">As an aftermath of these facts, Sudan suffers from inadequate supplies of potable water, declining wildlife populations because of warfare and excessive hunting, soil erosion, periodic droughts and desertification. Truly, as of 2001, 21 mammal species and 9 bird species are endangered, as well as 2 types of plants. Endangered species in Sudan include the waldrapp, northern white rhinoceros, Tora hartebeest, slender-horned gazelle, and hawks bill turtle. <span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Finally, due to the excessive droughts that Sudan goes through, it has been truly affected by global warming negatively in recent years. Resulting from these prevalent issues is the inhibition of agriculture, animal husbandry and even human settlement all over Sudan. In addition, the water on the coasts of Sudan is polluted by industrial by-products, oil, and sewage. In fact, Sudan's cities produce about 1.1 million tons of solid waste per year! Overall, environmental issues in Sudan are connected to the lifestyle of the citizens around the region and have yet to be fully resolved.

=<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Decision Statement =

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While Africa is a very diverse continent with an array of countries, some stand out as being worse than others when it comes to large decisions in migration. After analyzing the countries of Africa used in this project, Sudan stood above all as the best country to migrate to out of Botswana, Egypt, and Kenya. First, there are many benefits that come out of Sudan's geography alone. For instance, Sudan is the largest country in Africa, which translates directly into diversity and a more well-rounded lifestyle for the individual. Also, the tropical climate in Sudan is appealing, along with the major physical features that make it one of a kind: fertile Nile valley and several mountain ranges. In addition, oral traditions and its mix with literary expression make Sudan a place of exploration and comfort, along with its strong family views. Lastly, Sudan in its vast size and large trading spectrum belongs to the WTO, permitting access to the best products available.

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Although Sudan has a wonderful tradition in geography and culture, its economy stands up above the rest. Due to its large size, Sudan is a breeding ground for basic varieties of agricultural products such as cotton, many kinds of nuts, wheat, and an array of fruits. In addition, Sudan produces multiple natural resources that are among the most important worldwide: petroleum, silver, iron ore and copper. This fact guarantees a variety of jobs and dependability for residents. Sudan is involved in a variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, which is a great luxury in countries of Africa. Due to its trading ability, Sudan also has many import and export partners throughout Africa and even include China. Finally, Sudan has a relatively low unemployment rate (18.7%) in comparison to the other countries of Africa studied for this project.

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">When it comes to population, Sudan proves above the rest in the way of diversity, size and overall quality of life. With a relatively even age distribution throughout the country and a high literacy rate (<span style="color: #196739; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> 61.1%), Sudan offers much for all walks of life. Although religions are generally very important to different areas of the world, Sudan, while primarily Muslim, allows all types of beliefs to prosper, including Christianity which is a chief religion in cities across the country. Finally, Sudan's ethnic groups are mostly black but a large percentage Arab, which crosses over into a few languages being spoken, furthering diversity. Overall, Sudan is the best place to migrate to among the countries analyzed for this final project. =<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Bibliography/ Works Cited = <span style="color: #196739; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Images: [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []

<span style="color: #196739; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Information: "Sudan - Environment." __Encyclopedia of the Nations__. 28 May 2010. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Sudan-ENVIRONMENT.html>. "Sudan." __The World Factbook.__ 18 May 2010. CIA. 26 May 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/su.html>. Hibbitts, Bernard J. "Sudan: Sudanese Law, Legal Research, Human Rights." __Jurist Legal Intelligence.__ 29 May 2010. <http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/world/sudan.htm> "Sudan Human Rights." __Amnesty International USA.__ 24 May 2010. <[]>. "Sudan." __Human Rights Watch.__ 20 May 2010. 26 May 2010. <http://www.hrw.org/africa/sudan>. "Human Rights in Sudan Overview." __Amnesty International Canada.__ 25 April 2008. 23 May 2010. <[]>. "2008 Human Rights Report: Sudan." __U.S. Department of State.__ 25 February 2009. 24 May 2010. <[]>