SUDAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SUDAN - Essay Example While rainfall is rare in the north, the southern region gets rainfall in plenty. The country also has a variety of wildlife that includes hippopotamus, crocodiles, elephants, birds and reptiles. The capital city is Khartoum and along with Khartoum North and Omdurman, they form the urban center. The government and commerce are centered in Khartoum, and Omdurman is the official capital of Sudan. North Khartoum harbors a majority of the industries in Sudan. With a population of 33.5 million, about 52 % of the population is black, 39 % are Arab, 6 % are Beja, 2 % foreign and the remaining 1 % are from other ethnic populations (Culture of Sudan; About the Republic of Sudan). Sudan also has about 597 tribes in which more than 400 different languages and dialects are spoken (About the Republic of Sudan). The average growth rate is at 3% and there is also a steady migration of people from rural to urban areas. Arabic is the official language which is spoken by a majority of the population, apart from which there are nearly 100 different languages which are spoken by the indigenous populations. English is taught as a foreign language at schools. The Sudanese government is an authoritarian government in which all the powers are vested on the President and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP). The current President Omar-al-Bashir ousted the political government lead by the Prime Minister in 1989 and transformed Sudan into an Islamic authoritarian state through the creation of the National Islamic Front (NIF) which is the most powerful political organization in Sudan. Following an internal civil war the southern region of Sudan has been granted autonomy with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) as the most important political organization (Culture of Sudan; About the Republic of Sudan). The most widely practiced religion is Islam with nearly 70 % of the population being Sunni Muslims. While 25% follow indigenous beliefs