SUDAN

Information and maps from the Darling Kindersley World Reference Atlas (?35), available from all good bookshops.

Official name: Republic of Sudan

Capital: Khartoum

Population: 28.1 million

Currency: Sudanese dinar

Official language: Arabic

Bordering the Red Sea, Sudan is the largest country in Africa. Its landscape changes from desert in the north to lush tropical forests in the south, with grassy plains and swamps in the centre. Tensions between the Arab north and African south have led to two civil wars since independence from British and Egyptian rule in 1956, the second of which remains unresolved. CLIMATE

Sudan's northern half is hot, arid desert with constant dry winds. The rest of the country has a rainy season varying from two months in the centre to eight months in the south. TRANSPORT

The Port Sudan-Khartoum railway and road are Sudan's most important links. There are few other roads, but Iran is financing a Rabak-Malakal highway. Civil war has stopped all shipping on the Nile. TOURISM

Tourism has now almost ceased owing to political unrest and civil war. Visitors to Sudan are mostly aid workers or people on business. PEOPLE

Population density: 12 people per square kilometre

Urban/rural population: 23 per cent/77 per cent

Religion: 70 per cent Sunni Muslim, 20 per cent indigenous beliefs, five per cent Christian and five per cent other

Ethnic make-up: Sudan has a large number of ethnic and linguistic groups about two million are nomadic. The major social division is between the Arabised Muslims in the north and the mostly African, largely animist or Christian population in the south. Attempts to impose Islamic values have been the root cause of civil war in Sudan since 1983. However, rebels have now split into two factions, pitting southern Sudan's small ethnic groups against the Dinka, the south's largest tribe. Women who do not wear Islamic dress risk public floggings. POLITICS

The military regime headed by General Bashir took over in a coup in 1989. It banned all political parties except the National Islamic Front (NIF), which emerged as the force behind the coup. After the non-party 1996 elections, NIF leader Hassan al-Tourabi, Sudan's most influential figure, became president of the National Assembly. A strict policy of Islamisation has been imposed, but it is ineffective in the southern areas held by non-Muslim rebels. Many opposition leaders are in exile. WORLD AFFAIRS

Sudan's support for Iraq in the Gulf War and alleged support of terrorism has led to its increasing isolation from the West and the Arab world. Only Iran, Yemen and Libya remain on friendly terms with Sudan. AID

Sudan's only substantial bilateral aid comes from Iran. IMF funding ceased in 1990. Sudan depends on food aid. DEFENCE

The NIF controls the military and police and has its own parliamentary militia. Sudan's 116,800-strong army is engaged in fighting the two factions of the southern Sudanese People's Liberation army, which numbers up to 100,000 men. ECONOMICS

GNP: $6.4 billion

World GNP ranking: 95th

GNP per capita: $269

Balance of payments: minus $506 million

Strengths: Cotton, gum arabic, sesame,sugar and some gold mining.

Weaknesses: Low industrialisation and lack of foreign exchange for importing energy and spare parts for industry. Little transport infrastructure with huge distances between towns. Civil war prevents exploitation of oil reserves. Drought. Alienation of Arab donors and investors. RESOURCES

Electricity generation: 1.3 billion kwh

Livestock: 22.9 million sheep, 21.8 million cattle, 16.4 million goats, 2.9 million camels.

Large oil and gas reserves were found in the south during the 1980s but civil war has prevented their exploitation. The half-thermal, half-hydroelectric generating capacity is insufficient and week-long power cuts are frequent. Gold mining has expansion potential. ENVIRONMENT

Work on the Jonglei canal to straighten the White Nile was halted in 1986. If completed, environmentalists believe the world's largest swamp in the Sudd plain could dry up, destroying wildlife and intensifying desertification. MEDIA

The media were relatively free from 1985 to 1989, but are today controlled by the government and the army. CRIME

Anti-government dissent is often suppressed by violence, and torture in the security forces is widespread. The UN continually condemns Sudan's poor human rights record. EDUCATION

Measures were taken to Islamise education in 1991. Primary school children must have two years Islamic instruction, and men wishing to enter university must first serve for a year in the NIF's People's Militia. HEALTH

Doctor/population ratio: 1 per 11,100 people

As most health funds are tied to urban hospitals, health service standards in rural areas are basic. Civil war has led to an increase in communicable diseases. WEALTH

Wealth is limited to the NIF and southern elites. Most of the population struggles to survive.

Information and maps from the Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas (?35), available from all good bookshops. WORLD RANKING

Life expectancy 157 Infant mortality 146 GNP per capita 125 Daily calorie intake 151 Literacy 186 Schooling index 155 Educational rank 148 Human dev. index 144

MAP: SUDAN (Total Land Area: 2 376 000 sq km; 917 374 sq. miles)