South Sudan

South Sudan is a country in East Africa. Its official name is the Republic of South Sudan.^[9] It was part of Sudan until 2011. A civil war began in 2013.

Republic of South Sudan
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Justice, Liberty, Prosperity"
Anthem: "South Sudan Oyee!"
Capital and largest city	Juba 04°51′N 31°36′E
Official languages	English
Recognised national languages	Juba Arabic, Dinka, Zande, many others
Unofficial languages	Swahili Arabic
Demonym(s)	South Sudanese
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic under a totalitarian dictatorship
• President	Salva Kiir Mayardit
• Vice President	Reat Nhial Tuany
• First Vice President	Taban Deng Gai
Legislature	National Legislature
• Upper house	Council of States
• Lower house	National Legislative Assembly
Establishment
• End of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan	1 January 1956
• Comprehensive Peace Agreement	6 January 2005
• Autonomy	9 July 2005
• Independence from Sudan	9 July 2011
• United Nations admission	13 July 2011
Area
• Total	619,745 km2 (239,285 sq mi) (41st)
Population
• 2021 estimate	10,748,272[1][2]
• 2008 census	8,260,490 (disputed)[3] (94th)
• Density	13.33/km2 (34.5/sq mi) (214th)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$20.038 billion[4]
• Per capita	$1,525[4]
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$3.618 billion[4]
• Per capita	$275[4]
Gini (2009)	45.5[5] medium
HDI (2015)	0.418[6] low · 181st
Currency	South Sudanese pound (SSP)
Time zone	UTC+3 (East Africa Time)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+211[7]
ISO 3166 code	SS
Internet TLD	.ss[8]a
Registered and operational since 2019.

The ten states of South Sudan grouped in the three historical provinces of the Sudan.

  Bahr el Ghazal

  Equatoria

  Greater Upper Nile

The landlocked country is bordered by Ethiopia to the east; Kenya to the southeast; Uganda to the south; the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southwest; the Central African Republic to the west; and the Republic of Sudan to the north. South Sudan includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, locally called the Bahr al Jabal.

History

What is now South Sudan was once part of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. This part of the British Empire became the Republic of Sudan when independence was achieved in 1956. After the First Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. A second Sudanese civil war soon developed and ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. Later that year, the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011 at midnight local time,^[10][11] after a referendum held in January 2011. In the referendum, nearly 99% of voters wanted to separate from the rest of Sudan.^[12]

The United Nations Security Council met on 13 July 2011 to formally discuss membership for the Republic of South Sudan. The next day, 14 July 2011, South Sudan became a United Nations member state.^[13][14] South Sudan has also applied to join the Commonwealth of Nations,^[15] the East African Community,^[16][17] the Intergovernmental Authority on Development,^[18] the International Monetary Fund,^[19] and the World Bank.^[20] The country was declared eligible to apply for membership in the Arab League as well.^[21]

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, one athlete from South Sudan competed under the flag of the International Olympic Committee.^[22] In 2013 a civil war broke out.

Geography

Its capital is Juba. Between eight and twelve million people live there. Over 200 languages are spoken^[source?], but the official language is English. Arabic is also spoken by many people.

The main religion is Christianity, practised by nearly 78% of the population. Another 20% practise African traditional religions, and just 2% are Muslim.

Much of South Sudan's economy is based on oil, but they also have a large lumber industry mainly consisting of teak. It is a very poor and under-developed country. There is very little infrastructure, and the civil wars have caused a lot of damage.