Geography
Sudan
Area
land
1,731,671 sq km
water
129,813 sq km
total
1,861,484 sq km
Climate
characterized by hot and arid conditions; predominantly desert; the rainy season varies by area, occurring from April to November
Terrain
generally consists of a level, featureless expanse; desert terrain is prevalent in the northern region
Land use
other
27.7% (2023 est.)
forest
12% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
60.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 11.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 49% (2023 est.)
Location
located in northeastern Africa, adjacent to the Red Sea, situated between Egypt and Eritrea
Coastline
853 km
Elevation
lowest point
Red Sea 0 m
highest point
Jabal Marrah 3,042 m
mean elevation
568 m
Irrigated land
15,504 sq km (2019)
Major aquifers
Nubian Aquifer System, Sudd Basin (Umm Ruwaba Aquifer)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
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
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
18 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural hazards
frequent dust storms and recurring severe droughts
Geography - note
The Nile serves as the main water source for Sudan; its principal tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, converge at Khartoum to create the River Nile, which continues northward into Egypt and reaches the Mediterranean Sea
Natural resources
oil; limited deposits of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, and gold; hydropower resources
Area - comparative
slightly under one-fifth the area of the United States
Geographic coordinates
15 00 N, 30 00 E
Population distribution
apart from a narrow strip of habitation along the banks of the Nile, northern Sudan has a low population density; significant population centers are located around Khartoum, in the southeast between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, and across South Darfur, as illustrated in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
(Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)
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] indicates river source following the country name; [m] indicates river mouth following the country name