Land area

2.5m sq km

Population

43.3m (mid-2010, Economist Intelligence Unit estimate)

Main towns

Population in '000; 1993 census (some may have more than doubled since then)

Khartoum (capital): 925 El Obeid: 228

Port Sudan: 305 Wad Medani: 219

Kassala: 234 Gedaref: 189

Omdurman: 229 Juba: 115

Climate

Northern Sudan: hot and dry in September-May; rainy season from April/May to September/October depending on latitude (average annual rainfall 100 mm). Southern Sudan: rainy season from April to October (average annual rainfall 1,000 mm)

Weather in Khartoum (altitude 390 metres)

Hottest month, May, 26-42°C; coldest month, January, 16-32°C; driest months, January-April, usually no rainfall; wettest month, August, 72 mm average rainfall (average annual rainfall 200 mm)

Languages

The official language is Arabic, which is spoken by about 60% of the population; English is also widely spoken in the south. There are an estimated 115 tribal languages, of which over 27 or more are each spoken by more than 100,000 people

Measures

Metric system. Some local measures are also used:

1 diraa = 58 cm; 1 feddan = 0.39 ha; 12 keilas = 1 arde = 1.98 hl

Currency

In 2007 the Sudanese pound replaced the Sudanese dinar as the national currency at a value of SP1=SD100. The pound is made up of 100 qirush/piaster

Time

3 hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

Independence Day (January 1st); Coptic Christmas (January 7th); Peace Agreement Day (January 9th); the Prophet's birthday (February 15th 2011); Coptic Easter (April 24th-25th 2011); Labour Day (May 5th); Revolution Day (June 30th); Eid al-Fitr (August 30th 2011); Eid al-Adha (November 6th 2011); Islamic New Year (November 28th 2011); Christmas Day (December 25th)

The dates of the Islamic festivals are uncertain because they depend on the actual sighting of the moon. There are additional regional public holidays in Southern Sudan