Sudan - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Sudan. The Nile is Sudan's primary water source; its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 270 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Sudan
Location north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north
Natural Resources petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower
Natural Hazards dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
Irrigated Land 15,666 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)

An Nīl (Nile) (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km; Blue Nile river mouth (shared with Ethiopia [s]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major aquifers Nubian Aquifer System, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Land Boundaries 6,819 km
Border Countries Central African Republic 174 km; Chad 1,403 km; Egypt 1,276 km; Eritrea 682 km; Ethiopia 744 km; Libya 382 km; South Sudan 2,158 km
Coastline 853 km
Climate hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 1,731,671 sq km
Water Area 129,813 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 18 nm
Continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevations
Highest point Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
Lowest point Red Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 568 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 100% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 15.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 84.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 0% (2018 est.)
Other 0% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

With the exception of a ribbon of settlement that corresponds to the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan, which extends into the dry Sahara, is sparsely populated; more abundant vegetation and broader access to water increases population distribution in the south extending habitable range along nearly the entire border with South Sudan; sizeable areas of population are found around Khartoum, southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and throughout South Darfur as shown on this population distribution map

People and Society

In Sudan, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Sudanese Arab (approximately 70%), Fur, Beja, Nuba, Ingessana, Uduk, Fallata, Masalit, Dajo, Gimir, Tunjur, Berti; there are over 500 ethnic groups

Population
Pop growth rate 2.55% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 33.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 4.47 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.18 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 12.2% (2014)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 61.4% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures NA
Net Migration rate -1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Sudanese | Sudanese (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions Sunni Muslim, small Christian minority
Age Structure
0-14 years 40.1% (male 10,278,453/female 9,949,343)
15-64 years 56.7% (male 14,211,514/female 14,390,486)
65 years and over 3.2% (2024 est.) (male 845,125/female 792,357)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 76.9
Youth dependency ratio 74
Elderly dependency ratio 6.2
Potential support ratio 16.2 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 19.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 19 years
Female 19.6 years
Urbanization
Urban population 36.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 6.344 million KHARTOUM (capital), 1.057 million Nyala (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over 1.07 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 46 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 34.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 67.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 65.5 years
Female 70.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99% of population
Improved: rural rural: 80.7% of population
Improved: total total: 87.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 19.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 12.9% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 72.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 30.6% of population
Improved: total total: 45.3% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 27.9% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 69.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 54.7% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Respiratory diseases meningococcal meningitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

Sudan’s population grew almost fourfold between 1956 and 2008, the date of its last census.  Even after the southern part of the country became independent South Sudan in 2011, the population of Sudan has continued to grow.  The gender balance overall is fairly even.  Females, however, are more prevalent in rural areas because of males migrating to urban areas in search of work.  The total fertility rate (TFR) remains high despite falling from 7 children per woman in Sudan’s first census in 1955 to about 4.5 in 2022, which can be attributed to early marriage and a low contraceptive prevalence rate.  Among the factors that led to the reduction in fertility are family planning, improvement in women’s education and participation in the labor force outside the home, and migration and urbanization. 

The continued slow decline in fertility accompanied by a drop in mortality and increased life expectancy has produced an age structure where approximately 55% of the population was of working age (15-64) as of 2020.  This share will grow as the sizable youth population becomes working age.  As Sudan’s working age population increasingly outnumbers the youth and elderly populations (the dependent populations), the country will approach the possibility of a demographic dividend.  The window of opportunity for potential economic growth depends not only on a favorable age structure but also on having a trained and educated workforce, job creation (particularly in the formal market), and investment in health, as well as generating savings to invest in schooling and care for the elderly.  As of 2018, Sudan’s literacy rate was just over 60%, and even lower among women.  Improvements in school enrollment, student-teacher ratio, infrastructure, funding, and educational quality could help the country to realize a demographic dividend.

All Important Facts about Sudan

Want to know more about Sudan? Check all different factbooks for Sudan below.

Sudan is found in Northern Africa