ABSTRACT
The Sudan is a vast and complex country. The largest in Africa, it is made up of geographically diverse regions and includes many different peoples. Its diversity is so great that it has been said that the various tribal and regional systems "have in common only nominal unity within a formal national government structure."1 However, from a different perspective, another observer has spoken of the special Sudanese national identity utilizing "the immense resources of its ethnic and cultural diversities."2
