Country Profile 2005
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Country Profile 2005 Sudan This Country Profile is a reference work, analysing the country’s history, politics, infrastructure and economy. It is revised and updated annually. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Reports analyse current trends and provide a two-year forecast. The full publishing schedule for Country Profiles is now available on our website at http://www.eiu.com/schedule The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St, London SW1Y 4LR United Kingdom The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit is a specialist publisher serving companies establishing and managing operations across national borders. For over 50 years it has been a source of information on business developments, economic and political trends, government regulations and corporate practice worldwide. The Economist Intelligence Unit delivers its information in four ways: through its digital portfolio, where its latest analysis is updated daily; through printed subscription products ranging from newsletters to annual reference works; through research reports; and by organising seminars and presentations. The firm is a member of The Economist Group. London New York Hong Kong The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit The Economist Intelligence Unit 15 Regent St The Economist Building 60/F, Central Plaza London 111 West 57th Street 18 Harbour Road SW1Y 4LR New York Wanchai United Kingdom NY 10019, US Hong Kong Tel: (44.20) 7830 1007 Tel: (1.212) 554 0600 Tel: (852) 2585 3888 Fax: (44.20) 7830 1023 Fax: (1.212) 586 0248 Fax: (852) 2802 7638 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.eiu.com Electronic delivery This publication can be viewed by subscribing online at www.store.eiu.com Reports are also available in various other electronic formats, such as CD-ROM, Lotus Notes, on-line databases and as direct feeds to corporate intranets. For further information, please contact your nearest Economist Intelligence Unit office Copyright © 2005 The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. All information in this report is verified to the best of the author's and the publisher's ability. However, the Economist Intelligence Unit does not accept responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it. ISSN 0269-705X Symbols for tables “n/a” means not available; “–” means not applicable Printed and distributed by Patersons Dartford, Questor Trade Park, 151 Avery Way, Dartford, Kent DA1 1JS, UK. EGYPT RED SEA LIBYA Halaib L. Nuba Wadi Halfa Nubian Desert Libyan Desert Abu Hamad Port Sudan . R Dongola e Suakin Nil Sinkat Karima Merowe Berber CHAD Atbara El Damer . R A ile t N Shendi b a r a R Omdurman Khartoum North ERITREA KHARTOUM B SUDAN l Kassala u e N i le R Sodiri . Wad Medani Al Gezira El Fasher El Dueim Gedaref Geneina Sennar El Obeid Jebel Marra Kosti Singa EnEl Nahud Umm Ruwaba Gallabat Nyala . Dilling R e l i El Damazin N e ETHIOPIA t i Babanusa h Kadugli W Kurmuk l R. aza Gh Malakal Bentiu Aweil Gogrial Jonglei Canal Nasir W h i t CENTRAL Wau e N i le AFRICAN REPUBLIC R . Rumbek Main railway Bor Main road International boundary International airport Maridi Capital Yambio Juba Kapoeta Major town Yei Other town DEMOCRATIC Nimule February 2005 REPUBLIC OF CONGO 0 km 100 200 300 400 UGANDA 0 miles 100 200 KENYA ' The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2005 Comparative economic indicators, 2004 Gross domestic product Gross domestic product per head US$ bn US$ ’000 Saudi Arabia Qatar Iran United Arab Emirates Israel Kuwait United Arab Emirates Israel Algeria Bahrain Egypt Saudi Arabia Morocco Oman Kuwait Lebanon Iraq Libya Tunisia Tunisia Libya Algeria Qatar Iran Oman Jordan Syria Morocco Sudan Iraq Lebanon Syria Yemen Egypt Jordan Yemen Bahrain Sudan 0 50 100 150 200 250 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit estimates; national sources. Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit estimates; national sources. Gross domestic product Consumer prices % change, year on year % change, year on year Iraq 35.9 Iran Qatar Yemen Kuwait Egypt Sudan Iraq Iran Sudan Jordan Algeria United Arab Emirates Qatar Bahrain Tunisia Algeria United Arab Emirates Tunisia Jordan Saudi Arabia Libya Libya Bahrain Israel Syria Morocco Morocco Lebanon Lebanon Egypt Kuwait Syria Saudi Arabia Yemen Oman Oman Israel 0246810 -4 0 4 8 12 16 Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit estimates; national sources. Sources: Economist Intelligence Unit estimates; national sources. Country Profile 2005 www.eiu.com © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2005 Sudan 1 Contents Sudan 3 Basic data 4 Politics 4 Political background 5 Recent political developments 15 Constitution, institutions and administration 16 Political forces 19 International relations and defence 25 Resources and infrastructure 25 Population 26 Education 27 Health 28 Natural resources and the environment 28 Transport, communications and the Internet 32 Energy provision 33 The economy 33 Economic structure 35 Economic policy 42 Economic performance 44 Regional trends 44 Economic sectors 44 Agriculture 48 Mining and semi-processing 52 Manufacturing 53 Construction 54 Financial services 55 Other services 55 The external sector 55 Tra d e i n go od s 57 Invisibles and the current account 58 Capital flows and foreign debt 60 Foreign reserves and the exchange rate 61 Regional overview 61 Membership of organisations 67 Appendices 67 Sources of information 68 Reference tables 68 Population (m) 68 Government finances 68 Money supply 69 Gross domestic product © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2005 www.eiu.com Country Profile 2005 2 Sudan 69 Prices and earnings 69 Labour force 69 Area, output and yield of selected crops 70 Livestock numbers 70 Animal and dairy production 70 Cotton crops 70 Consolidated balance sheets of the deposit money banks 71 Foreign trade 71 Main exports fob 71 Main imports cif 72 Main trading partners 72 Main composition of trade 73 Balance of payments, IMF series 74 External debt, World Bank series 74 Foreign reserves 74 Exchange rates Country Profile 2005 www.eiu.com © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2005 Sudan 3 Sudan Basic data Land area 2,506,000 sq km Population 33.61m (2003, IMF estimate) Main towns Population in ’000, 1993 census Khartoum (capital) 925 El Obeid 228 Port Sudan 305 Wad Medani 219 Kassala 234 Gedaref 189 Omdurman 229 Juba 115 Climate Northern Sudan: hot and dry September-May, rainy season April/May to September/October depending on latitude (average annual rainfall 100 mm). Southern Sudan: long rains April-October (average annual rainfall 1,000 mm) Weather in Khartoum Hottest month, May, 26-42°C; coldest month, January, 16-32°C; driest months, (altitude 390 metres) January-April, usually no rainfall; wettest month, August, 72 mm average rainfall (average annual rainfall 200 mm) Languages The official language is Arabic, which is spoken by about 60% of the population; English is also widely spoken in the south. There are an estimated 115 tribal languages, of which over 27 or more are each spoken by more than 100,000 people Measures Metric system. Some local measures are also used: 1 diraa=58 cm; 1 feddan=0.39 ha; 12 keilas=1 arde=1.98 hl; 100 rotl=1 canter (cotton, small)=44.93 kg; 315 rotl=1 canter (cotton, large)=141.5 kg Currency The Sudanese dinar officially replaced the Sudanese pound in 1999. The value of the dinar was set at SD1=S£10. The average official exchange rate in 2004 was SD257.8:US$1 Time 2 hours ahead of GMT Public holidays In addition to Islamic holidays, the following public holidays are observed in government-controlled areas: January 1st, Independence Day; June 30th, Revolution Day. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2005 www.eiu.com Country Profile 2005 4 Sudan Politics Lieutenant-General Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Beshir has been president of Sudan since he gained power in a coup d’état in June 1989. Although head of state, for much of this period he was the junior partner to Hassan al-Turabi, the founding father of the ruling National Congress (NC!known as the National Islamic Front until January 1999) and former speaker of the National Assembly (parliament). With the support of the military, Mr Beshir mounted a de facto palace coup in late 1999, imposing a state of emergency and sidelining Mr Turabi. Mr Beshir was re-elected to serve a second (and theoretically final) five-year term as president in December 2000. Since mid-2002 peace talks with the southern rebel group, the Sudan People"s Liberation Army (SPLA), have dominated the political agenda, and an agreement was finally concluded in January 2005. It remains overshadowed, however, by continuing unrest and violence in the western province of Darfur. Political background Mahdism and British control The present-day borders of Sudan have their origins in the land administered in the early 19th century by Egyptian rulers and the subsequent Mahdist state. From 1819 Egypt ruled Sudan with the help of a small number of British administrators. An uprising, led by the Mahdi (the head of the Ansar, an Islamic sect), succeeded in freeing Sudan from foreign control in 1885. However, the British regained control in 1899, ostensibly in partnership with Egypt. Independence and the Following considerable nationalist protest in Sudan, the UK effectively relin- problem of integration quished control of the country in 1954, although formal independence was delayed until 1956, by which time the northern Arab urban elite were firmly entrenched in power. The first episode in what became an intractable civil war in southern Sudan occurred with a mutiny by southern forces in 1955, following months of unrest and dissatisfaction at growing northern dom- ination.