Geography
Northeastern Africa, with a Red Sea coast and geographic links to the Nile Valley, Horn of Africa and Sahel.
The Nile
The Blue and White Nile meet at Khartoum, and the river has long shaped settlement, agriculture and trade.
Diversity
Multiple peoples, languages, cultures and regions have shaped Sudanese identity over centuries.
Independence
Sudan became independent in 1956; South Sudan became an independent state in 2011.
Civilizations
Nubia, Kush, Meroë, medieval Christian kingdoms and later Islamic sultanates form major layers of Sudanese history.
Strategic Position
Sudan connects African and Arab economic spaces, borders the Red Sea and sits on important regional trade routes.