Northern Sudan, whose photo will be presented below, is part of a country that previously ranked tenth in the list of the largest in the world. Now he has moved to 15th place. Its area is 1, 886, 068 km 2.
general characteristics
North Sudan is a country located in Africa. Most of it is a vast plateau. Its average height is 460 m. The Nile Valley crosses the plateau. The confluence of the Blue and White Nile is the capital of North Sudan. In the eastern territory along the coast of the Red Sea and the border with Ethiopia, the terrain is mountainous. Most of the country is occupied by deserts. Many travelers come to North Sudan precisely for their sake. The climate is arid. The temperature in the summer is from 20 to 30 degrees. In the winter - not lower than 15-17. There is very little rainfall here during the year.
sights
Sudan (North) attracts tourists from all over the world. They go to visit not only the Nubian and Libyan deserts. Here you can see many attractions preserved from ancient Egyptian times. For example, these are the ruins of the pyramids between the Nubian desert and the river. Nile. The oldest structures were created by the rulers of the Kush kingdom in the 8th century. BC e. Having conquered part of the Egyptian territories, they adopted their culture. It should, however, be said that the pyramids located in Sudan have not yet been fully explored. This is due to the difficult political situation and difficult weather conditions. In addition to the pyramids, the country's landmark is the sacred mountain Jebel Barkal. At its foot are the ruins of the temple of Amon, another 12 temples and 3 Nubian palaces. These monuments were attributed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
Country device
In 1956, Sudan gained independence from Britain. Since then, the military regime of the Islamic-oriented government has dominated national politics. There were two fairly long civil wars in Sudan. Both began in the 20th century. The causes of the conflicts were the contradictions between the southern and northern territories of the country. The first confrontation began in 1955 and ended in 1972. At that time, no one had officially said that a new country would be formed subsequently - Northern Sudan. The war broke out again in 1983. This conflict was quite fierce. As a result, more than three million citizens were forced to flee the country. In general, according to unofficial data, more than 2 million deaths were recorded. Only in the early 2000s, peace negotiations were held. South and North Sudan signed agreements in 2004-2005. The final contract was approved in January 2005. In accordance with this agreement, South and North Sudan agreed on autonomy for 6 years. The agreement provided for a national referendum to confirm independence. As a result, in 2011, in January, in the southern part of the country, it was held. The majority of votes supported independence.
New conflict
It occurred in the western part of the country, in the Darfur region. As a result of this separate conflict, about 2 million people were again forced to flee the territory. In 2007, at the end of December, the UN sent peacekeepers here. They tried to stabilize the situation, which was becoming increasingly aggravated. The situation assumed a regional character and provoked instability in the eastern territories of Chad.
Additional issues
A large number of refugees from neighboring countries regularly arrive in North Sudan. Mostly refugees from Chad and Ethiopia move to the country. In Sudan, the transport infrastructure is poorly developed, there is no state support for the population, and armed conflicts periodically continue to arise. All these problems have become chronic. They significantly impede the delivery of humanitarian aid to North Sudan.
The origins of conflict
South Sudan’s independence was officially announced in July 9, 2011. In early January, as mentioned above, a referendum was held in the country. 99% of the citizens of the southern territory voted to not depend on the policies pursued by North Sudan. Khartoum was not recognized by voters as the administrative center. Obtaining independence was to mark the end of the transitional period, which was provided for by the Comprehensive Peace Treaty, signed in 2005. This agreement put an end to the confrontation, which lasted for 22 years. The causes of the conflict, according to analysts, lie in the colonial past of the territory. The fact is that in 1884, at the Berlin Conference, European countries established such borders for African states, in which representatives of ethnic groups that had nothing in common were mixed, and those who were close to each other, on the contrary, were divided. Since the beginning of independence, North Sudan has been constantly in a tense state, complicated by both external conflicts with neighbors and internal contradictions.
Resource Dispute
There is another problem that North Sudan is trying to solve today. Oil for the former united country was the main resource. After the division of the country, the government lost most of its reserves. In the disputed region of Abyei, skirmishes between units of divided territories still occur today. This conflict has been going on since May 2011. North Sudan has captured the area; its military units are still there. In addition, before the declaration of independence by the results of the referendum, another event occurred. The northern army captured the Kufra region, located in southern Libya. Also, military units took control of Jauf and the road to the center of the fields of Misla and Sarir. Thus, the influence spread to the south-eastern territory of Libya, due to which the government secured a share in the oil market of this country.
Interested Powers
According to some experts, Sudan’s oil reserves can be compared with the resources of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the country has deposits of copper, uranium and natural gas. In this regard, the division of the territory is reduced not only to the contradictions between Juba and Khartoum. The “Chinese factor” is also important, as well as the rivalry between China and America in Africa. This is confirmed by some official data. So, since 1999, China has invested $ 15 billion in the economy of Sudan. Thus, he is the largest investor. Moreover, China financed the development of deposits in the southern territories, investing $ 5 billion in it. However, all these investments were made before the official separation of the country. Now China will have to agree on the implementation of its projects with Juba. In this situation, it should be noted that Beijing was interested in maintaining the integrity of the country, while other powers actively supported the separation.
Uganda
This country acts as the main strategic partner of the RSE in the fight against the parachristian nationalist rebel group "Lord's Resistance Army". Along with this, Uganda is today considered the main conductor of Western ideas in Africa. According to some analysts, the pro-American orientation of this country will soon appear.
America
According to the US military, after resisting for many years the capital of North Sudan, the crisis in the country can only be eliminated through intervention, since all international diplomatic means against the head of government did not bring the desired result. If you believe the collection of documents published by Elliot, then the joint resolution of the African Union and the UN on the peacekeeping contingent in Dafur is considered the reason for intervention. In February 2006, the US Senate adopted a document requiring the introduction of UN peacekeepers and NATO forces into the region. A month later, Bush Jr. called for the deployment of reinforced formations in Dafur. In addition to America, China is showing interest in the province.
North Sudan: Gold
After the separation, the country, having lost a major source of income, nevertheless did not remain without raw materials. On its territory there are reserves of manganese, copper, nickel, iron ore. In addition, a significant amount of resources is gold. Mining requires the development of mining. The potential of this sector is quite high in the country. The authorities of both territories understand this. Intending to develop mining, governments thus seek to reduce dependence on oil production. At the beginning of the year, the administration announced its upcoming plans. So, the government of North Sudan has set the task of extracting 50 tons of gold. Increased attention to this fossil is determined by its priority in modern conditions in export activities. Through sales of gold, Sudan was able to some extent compensate for losses after the division of the country.
Situation today
According to unofficial data, about half a million miners are searching and developing yellow metal deposits. The government encourages this activity, provides work even to inexperienced citizens. According to representatives of the mining industry, the country today occupies a leading position in the list of African states that are of particular interest to mining companies of a global scale. This is due to insufficient study of the reserves of the territory. The sanctions imposed by America, as well as the endless armed conflicts weakened the interest of mining companies in the recent past. However, today investors again turned their attention to Sudan, which was facilitated by the rather high cost of gold. The government, in turn, issued licenses for the development of deposits in Iran, Turkey, Russia, China, Morocco and other countries.
Khartoum
This city was founded by the British in the 19th century. The capital of northern Sudan has a relatively short history. At first, the city acted as a military outpost. It is believed that the capital got its name because of the thin strip of land on the river confluence section. It resembles the trunk of an elephant. The development of the city was fast enough. Khartoum reached its prosperity during the peak of the slave trade. This was from 1825 to 1880. Khartoum became the capital of the country in 1834. Many European researchers considered it as a starting point in the implementation of their expeditions to African territories. Khartoum is currently considered the richest and largest among the Sudanese cities that exist today. In addition, it is recognized as the second largest Muslim territory in this part of Africa.
Interesting places
In general, modern Khartoum is an unremarkable and quiet city. Of interest here may be its colonial center. The city maintains a peaceful atmosphere, trees are planted along the streets. Nevertheless, in his appearance you can still see signs of the colonial center of the era of the British Empire. As for architecture, the Palace of the Republic and the parliament building, as well as museums (ethnographic, natural history and the National Repository) may be of interest to tourists. In the library of the University of the capital, the Sudanese and African collections are preserved. The National Office of Records (reports) stores the main collection of historical documentation. The National Museum displays exhibits from many civilizations and eras. The collections include, among others, clay and glassware, statuettes and sculptures of the ancient kingdom and Egyptian pharaohs. The frescoes of the destroyed churches, dating from the 8-15th century, represent the Christian era of ancient Nubia. There are two temples in the garden of the National Museum. They were transported from Nubia and rebuilt in Khartoum. Previously, Semna and Buen temples were located on the territory flooded by Lake Nasser, which, in turn, was formed after the establishment of the dam hydroelectric station. These structures were originally erected during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose the Third and Queen Hatshepsut. The ethnographic museum of the capital is relatively small. However, it presents interesting collections of products related to village life. In the collections, in particular, items of clothing, kitchen utensils, musical instruments, and hunting tools are presented. The most attractive place is the site of the confluence of the Blue and White Nile. Almost on the shore there is a kind of amusement park, from where a magnificent panorama of the river opens.
