Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is the world’s newest country. Home to a diverse array of mainly Nilotic ethnolinguistic groups that settled in the territory in the 15th through 19th centuries, South Sudanese society is heavily dependent on seasonal migration and seasonal fluctuations in precipitation. Modern-day South Sudan was conquered first by Egypt and later ruled jointly by Egyptian-British colonial administrators in the late 19th century.
- Capital
- Juba
- Government
- presidential republic
- Population
- 12,703,714
- Area
- 644,329 sq km
- Location
- East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia
- Climate
- hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone;
- Natural resources
- hydropower; fertile agricultural land; gold; diamonds; petroleum; hardwoods…
- Languages
- English (official); Arabic (includes Juba and Sudanese variants); ethnic languages include Dinka; Nuer…
- Religions
- Christian 60.5%; folk religion 32.9%; Muslim 6.2%; other <1%…
- Independence
- 9 July 2011 (from Sudan)
- Administrative divisions
- 10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Wes…
- Currency
- South Sudanese pounds (SSP)
- Export partners
- China 51%; Singapore 29%; UAE 10%; Germany 4%…
- Import partners
- Uganda 33%; UAE 26%; Kenya 14%; China 10%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain