ABSTRACT
Sudan is geographically the largest nation in Africa. Approximately one-fourth the size of the United States, it shares borders with nine countries: Chad, Libya, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. Its population of nearly 40 million people is among the most diverse in Africa, representing some 130 languages and dialects. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), about 52 percent of the population may be classified as nonArab. The non-Arab population is often referred to as “black Africans.” This term can be misleading, however, as all Sudanese are dark-skinned. The vast
majority of the population (some 75 percent) is Muslim, though 20 percent practice indigenous religions, and 5 percent, mainly in the southern region, are Christian. Most Sudanese (68 percent) live in rural areas, while 32 percent are urban dwellers, and about 7 percent are nomadic. Sudan is also one of the poorest nations in the world; it ranks 139 out of 177 nations on the UN Human Development Index.
