Republic of the Sudan

Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the southeast, and South Sudan to the south. Sudan has a population of over 51 million people and occupies an area of over 1,886,000 km² (over 728,000 square miles), making it Africa’s third-largest country by area and the third-largest by area in the Arab League. It was the largest country by area in Africa and the Arab League until the secession of South Sudan in 2011; since then both titles have been held by Algeria. Sudan’s capital and most populous city is Khartoum with around 6.75 million inhabitants.

The terrain is generally flat plains, broken by several mountain ranges. In the west, the Deriba Caldera at 9,980 feet, located in the Marrah Mountains, is the highest point in Sudan. In the east are the Red Sea Hills. The Blue Nile and White Nile rivers meet in Khartoum to form the Nile, which flows northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The Blue Nile’s course through Sudan is nearly 800 km (497 miles) long and is joined by the Dinder and Rahad Rivers between Sennar and Khartoum. The White Nile within Sudan has no significant tributaries. There are several dams on the Blue and White Niles. Among them are the Sennar and Roseires Dams on the Blue Nile, and the Jebel Aulia Dam on the White Nile. There is also Lake Nubia on the Sudanese-Egyptian border.

Rich mineral resources are available in Sudan including asbestos, chromite, cobalt, copper, gold, granite, gypsum, iron, kaolin, lead, manganese, mica, natural gas, nickel, petroleum, silver, tin, uranium and zinc.

Dugu Area South Darfur – ©FUDOL YOUSUF AHMED HAMID CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The amount of rainfall increases towards the south. The central and the northern part have extremely dry, semi-desert areas such as the Nubian Desert to the northeast and the Bayuda Desert to the east; in the south, there are grasslands and tropical savanna. Sudan’s rainy season lasts for about four months (June to September) in the north, and up to six months (May to October) in the south. The dry regions are plagued by sandstorms, known as haboob, which can completely block out the sun. In the northern and western semi-desert areas, people rely on scarce rainfall for basic agriculture and many are nomadic, travelling with their herds of sheep and camels. Nearer the River Nile, there are well-irrigated farms growing cash crops. The sunshine duration is very high all over the country, but especially in deserts where it can soar to over 4,000 hours per year.

Desertification is a serious problem in Sudan. There is also concern over soil erosion. Agricultural expansion, both public and private, has proceeded without conservation measures. The consequences have manifested themselves in the form of deforestation, soil desiccation, and the lowering of soil fertility and the water table.

Birding Sudan

A variety of climate types in Sudan results in a wide range of habitats and the range of wildlife is diverse. Some 287 species of mammal have been recorded in the country and some 634 species of birds, including Kordofan sparrow Passer cordofanicus, which is endemic to Sudan and South Sudan (although it is in only a small area in the north of South Sudan and may be present in border areas of Chad).

Nubian Desert – ©Hans Birger Nilsen CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The northern part of the country is largely desert with very little vegetation except beside watercourses. In more central parts, the semidesert receives rather more precipitation and supports Acacia scrub and various grasses. With the increased rainfall further south this merges into savannah with grasses, thorny trees and larger baobab trees. These are dominated by Acacia trees, including the Sudan gum Acacia senegal which yields gum arabic, historically one of the mainstays of the country’s export trade. The Nile basin in the south receives more rainfall, and the grass is lush, providing grazing for herds of cattle. There are also patches of woodland here. A characteristic tree which grows in woodland and beside seasonal water-courses in the Marrah Mountains is the winter thorn Faidherbia albida. Cattle stand in its shade in the dry season eating shed leaves and fruits, and sorghum crops do well underneath it in the rainy season.

Most of the 287 or so species of mammal found in Sudan are small and nocturnal, being rodents, bats and insectivores. Elephant shrews also occur, and among the larger mammals are crested porcupine and rock hyrax. Big cats found in Sudan include lions, leopards and cheetahs. There are many species of antelope as well as giraffes, rhinoceroses and elephants. Monkeys are found in forested areas.

Marrah Mountains – ©Mohamed Siddig Abdelaziz CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Reptiles are abundant but mostly small and inconspicuous. Snakes are numerous and include the African rock python, black mamba, Egyptian cobra, forest cobra, black-necked spitting cobra, boomslang and puff adder. Crocodiles are found near the Nile and other water bodies and there are many species of lizard, the largest being the Nile monitor. The African spurred tortoise and the leopard tortoise occur in arid areas and several aquatic species of terrapin, such as the African helmeted turtle, occur in swamps and marshes.

Among several protected areas in Sudan are Radom National Park in South Darfur, in the southwest of the country, and Dinder National Park in the southeast, both of which are UNESCO biosphere reserves. There are also a number of game reserves. The Suakin Archipelago National Park is a cluster of islands off the coast in the Red Sea and is a marine protected area of 579 square miles. These islets are fringed by coral reefs, being visited by four species of turtle and home to five species of breeding bird.