Location:
north-eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Population - distribution: Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 1,861,484 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: NA
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: NA
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 17
slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
Area comparison map:
slightly less than one-fifth the size of the US
total: 6,819 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (7): 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
note: Sudan-South Sudan boundary represents 1 January 1956 alignment; final alignment pending negotiations and demarcation; final sovereignty status of Abyei region pending negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan
853 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 18 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]
hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
More Climate Details
generally flat, featureless plain; desert dominates the north
mean elevation: 568 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Red Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold; hydropower
agricultural land: 100%
arable land 15.7%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 84.2%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 0%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
18,900 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
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
dust storms and periodic persistent droughts
inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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