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South Sudan has a tropical climate with wet and dry seasons. The seasons are characterized by the oscillation, north and south, of the boundary between moist southerly air and dry northerly air. This phenomenon, more specifically, involves the seasonal migration and pulsation of the northern tropical continental air mass and the southern maritime continental air mass, which are divided by the intertropical convergence zone. In winter the north winds of the tropical air mass blow across the country toward the front, which may be as far south as the Tropic of Capricorn. These winds are relatively cool and dry and usually bring no rain. By April the front begins to move northward, and the moist southerly air of the maritime air mass is drawn in from the South Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, South Sudan has a rainy season, the total length of which varies according to latitude and is generally no more than eight to nine months a year, beginning as early as April and continuing as late as December.
South Sudan’s lowest annual temperatures are in the high 60s to high 70s F (low to mid-20s C) in the centre and north of the country, while the lowest annual temperatures in the outlying areas are slightly cooler, about high 50s to high 60s F (mid-10s to low 20s C). The highest annual temperatures for most of South Sudan generally range from the mid-80s to the mid-90s F (low to mid-30s C), although some areas toward the north of the country range from the mid-90s to mid-100s F (mid- to upper 30s C). The highest temperatures normally occur just before the rainy season.
In South Sudan, most precipitation usually occurs during the summer months and varies across the country. The majority of the country receives about 30–40 inches (750–1,000 mm) annually. Areas in the western part of the country receive slightly more, about 40–60 inches (1,000–1,500 mm) annually, while some areas in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the country receive less, about 20–30 inches (500–750 mm). Some areas in the extreme southeast receive fewer than 20 inches (500 mm).
Plant and animal life
South Sudan’s main vegetational belts run in succession from northwest to southeast, more or less in coincidence with rainfall patterns. They are low-rainfall savanna (grassland), high-rainfall savanna, both with inland floodplains, and mountain vegetation regions.
Low-rainfall savannas consist of grasses and thorny trees. Acacia trees dominate these savannas, with one species, A. senegal, yielding gum arabic, which was long one of Sudan’s principal exports. The high-rainfall savannas of the south-central part of the country are more lush, with rich grasses along the Nile that support a large number of cattle. The intermittent woodlands dotting this belt gradually merge southward with the true rainforest that is now found only in remnants in the southernmost portions of the country.
The country’s wildlife includes lions, leopards, and cheetahs as well as elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, hippopotamuses, warthogs, and numerous varieties of antelope, such as gazelles, elands, and hartebeests. Chimpanzees, baboons, and monkeys are found in the forests. Birdlife includes ostriches, several kinds of partridge, cranes, storks, pelicans, plovers, weavers, and shrikes. Reptiles include crocodiles and various lizards. Decades of civil war have severely affected some animal populations, such as those of elephants and hippopotamuses. Insect life is abundant. Mosquitoes infest the riverbanks and swamps, and seroot flies (large bloodsucking houseflies) are a scourge during the wet months. The tsetse fly is typically found in or near wooded areas or in areas with streamside vegetation.
South Sudan is home to several national parks and game reserves, including Southern and Badingilo national parks, located in the south. Boma National Park, in the east, is notable for being home to one of the largest mammal migrations in the world.
People
Ethnic groups
The people of South Sudan are predominantly Africans who for the most part are Christian or follow traditional African religions. The largest ethnic group is the Dinka, who constitute about two-fifths of the population, followed by the Nuer, who constitute about one-fifth. Other groups include the Zande, the Bari, the Shilluk, and the Anywa (Anwak). There is a small Arab population in South Sudan.
The Dinka are mostly cattle herders and can be found throughout much of the country, while the Shilluk are more-settled farmers and, like the Anywa, are concentrated in the east, although they too can also be found in other parts of South Sudan. The Nuer are concentrated in the centre-northeast of the country, while the Bari live farther south, not far from the border with Uganda. The Zande live in the southwest, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Languages
The most important linguistic grouping in South Sudan is that of the Nilotes, who speak various languages of the Eastern Sudanic subbranch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Chief among the Nilotic peoples are the Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, Bari, and Anywa. The Zande and many other smaller ethnic groups speak various languages belonging to the Adamawa-Ubangi branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. Arabic, a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family, is spoken by the country’s small Arab population and by others.
Under the 2005 interim constitution, both Arabic and English were official working languages, although English had been acknowledged as the principal language in what is now South Sudan since 1972 and was the most common medium for government business. The preference for English was made clear when South Sudan’s 2011 transitional constitution named it the official working language of the country and the language of instruction for all levels of education.
Religion of South Sudan
Christians, primarily Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian, account for about three-fifths of South Sudan’s population. Christianity is a result of European missionary efforts that began in the second half of the 19th century. The remainder of the population is a mix of Muslims and those who follow traditional animist religions, the latter outnumbering the former. Although the animists share some common elements of religious belief, each ethnic group has its own indigenous religion. Virtually all of South Sudan’s traditional African religions share the conception of a high spirit or divinity, usually a creator god. There exist two conceptions of the universe: the earthly and the heavenly, or the visible and the invisible. The heavenly world is seen as being populated by spiritual beings whose function is to serve as intermediaries or messengers of God; in the case of the Nilotic peoples, these spirits are identified with their ancestors. The supreme deity is the object of rituals using music and dance.
Settlement patterns
South Sudan as a whole has a rather low population density, although distribution throughout the country is uneven. The greatest population densities are found along the Nile rivers and their tributaries. About four-fifths of South Sudan’s population is rural. Rural settlements are usually clustered along watercourses because of water supply problems, especially during the dry months. The most common type of housing in rural areas is a round hut known as a tukul. It has a thatched conical roof and is made of mud, grass, millet stalks, and wooden poles.
South Sudan was the least-urbanized area when Sudan became independent in 1956 but has since experienced a high rate of urban growth. Still, only about one-fifth of the population is urban. Major towns include Wau, Malakal, Yei, Yambio, and Juba, the capital.
Mohy el Din Sabr Jay L. Spaulding Ahmad Alawad Sikainga The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaDemographic trends
The population of South Sudan is overwhelmingly young, with more than two-fifths of the population under the age of 15 and more than one-fourth between the ages of 15 and 29. Life expectancy is much lower than the world average and is lower than that of neighbouring countries.
Decades of civil war in Sudan, fought largely in what is now South Sudan, took a toll on the population. It was estimated that between 1983, when a census was taken, and 2005, when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, more than two million people died and some 4–5.5 million were displaced, many of whom were southern Sudanese. After the signing of the CPA, many southern Sudanese returned to the region, especially during the run-up to the 2011 referendum on southern independence, when more than 120,000 made their way back to the south. South Sudan hosts refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region as well as from other countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and Ethiopia.
Economy
South Sudan is among the poorest and least-developed countries in the world. Almost four-fifths of its inhabitants depend on farming or animal husbandry for their livelihoods. The civil war that began in late 2013 severely disrupted the economy of South Sudan.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
Traditional rain-fed farming of small plots predominates in South Sudan, although mechanized farming techniques are increasingly utilized in some areas, such as in the northern part of the country. South Sudan’s main crop is sorghum. Other crops include corn (maize), millet, rice, cassava (manioc), peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, okra, and coffee. The main subsistence crops are sorghum, corn, and cassava, with smaller amounts of millet and rice being in grown in some areas. Peanuts are the primary cash crop. There is a considerable amount of livestock raised in the country, including goats, sheep, and cattle. Some livestock are raised for export, but this sector of the country’s economy is underdeveloped.
The forests of South Sudan yield hardwood timber, such as mahogany and sant (a type of acacia), and softwoods. Gum arabic (in South Sudan it is called gum africa), a water-soluble gum obtained from acacia trees and used in the production of adhesives, candy, and pharmaceuticals, is an important agricultural export.
The Nile rivers are the main source of fish, especially Nile perch. Most of the catch is consumed locally. There is the potential to increase the amount of fish that is sold at market and the possibility of having enough fish available to export, given proper support and development of the fishing industry. Transportation and storage limitations, however, have hindered such efforts in the past.
Resources and power
Petroleum is by far South Sudan’s most important natural resource. Oil was first discovered in the southwestern Sudan (now part of South Sudan) in 1977, and a commercially viable find was made in 1980. The long-running civil war prevented any exploitation of the oil deposits, however, until the end of the 20th century. Although the vast majority of these oil reserves are now in South Sudan, the necessary infrastructure for transporting the oil goes through Sudan, its neighbour to the north. Other known resources include marble, mica, and uranium.
Power sources used in South Sudan vary across urban and rural areas. Only a small portion of the population has access to electricity via public sources or private generators: in urban areas about one-sixth of the population has access to electricity as a source of lighting, while in rural areas access is available to less than 1 percent of the population. At the time of independence, several new power stations were under construction or recently completed, promising to increase the amount of power available in the country. Firewood is an important fuel for cooking, used by almost all of the rural population and about two-fifths of the urban population. In urban areas charcoal is used by about half of the population for cooking. The country has considerable hydroelectric potential, but it was not fully developed at the time of independence.
