Geography
The Republic of the Sudan is in Northern Africa. It is bordered by Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Red Sea.

Khartoum is the capital. Other cities include Omdurman, Port Sudan, Kassala, Kosti, and Juba.

Sudan is mostly flat with mountains in the east and west. The principal river is the Nile.

The climate is tropical in the south, with arid desert in the north.

Environment
Sudan has a number of national parks, marine parks, game reserves and bird sanctuaries.

Wadi Howar National Park is one of the world's largest national parks. Radom National Park and Dinder National Park are UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserves.

Sanganeb National Park is a marine park. Sharks, dolphins and turtles can be found in the coastal waters.

Animals in Sudan include antelopes, crocodiles, elephants, hippopotamuses, and monkeys.

Architecture
Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, in the province of Meroe, became a World Heritage site in 2003. The five archaeological sites in the Nile valley contain palaces, temples and pyramids from the ancient Kingdom of Kush: Napatan (900 to 270 BC) and Meroitic (270 BC to 350 AD).

Population
The population of Sudan was estimated at 45,047,502 in 2011.

Languages
Arabic is the official language. Other languages spoken are Nubian, Ta Bedawie, dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, and English.

Religion
Seventy percent of the people are Sunni Muslim (north), twenty-five percent have indigenous beliefs (south), and five percent are Christians (mostly in the south and Khartoum).

Food
Staple Sudanese dishes include millet porridge and mashed fava beans. Bread is also a staple food. Meat stew is eaten.

Vegetables available are cabbages, carrots, garlic, okra, onions, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.

Fruits grown are bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, papayas and watermelons.

Tea is a popular drink. Sudanese coffee is ground with cloves and spices. Wines, made from dates and honey, are produced by non-Islamic communities.

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