South Sudan is the youngest nation in Africa. The country was born from the previous Sudan country, which then was comprised of the south and northern regions. Coming into existence in 2011 on 9 July, the country has struggled to keep up with the lucrative tourism and travel industry, due to its natural capability to fit in this industry. Although the country might seem so young, this doesn’t rule out the plenty it offers in terms of tourist attraction. South Sudan holds one of the extensive grasslands, swamps, lakes and rivers. All these natural features contribute a lot to the natural beauty of this amazing country located on east Africa northern region.
Its holds one of the antic wildlife features that rivals other countries in eastern part of Africa. South Sudan is actually the home of the greatest and largest migration routes of animals in the world. This country also holds some significant numbers of wild safari animals like elephants, lions, giraffes and many more others. Boma national park, Nimule, Bandigilo, Sudd and Southern national parks are some of the parks with thrilling wildlife experience that you can’t miss out.
The cultural diversity displayed by several different communities, creates a frontier that draws any one close due to their social aspect. The dressing and some cultural activities performed by south Sudan people are captivating and wonderful as well.
Although this country is trying to set up itself, its true ability to attract tourist is expressed effectively by the social aspect of the people and their diverse cultures, the plunging landscapes and other natural resources as well as wildlife which rule the beauty of South Sudan.
History
The world's newest nation South Sudan, was initially a part of Sudan, the country in the north. South Sudan unlike Sudan is predominantly occupied by black Africans. Initially according to Geography, South Sudan was not a part of the Sudan region at all (the Sahel), forming as it does part of Sub-Saharan Africa. Its inclusion in "Sudan" is due to the southward expansion of the Ottoman Khedivate of Egypt in the 19th century, and its consequent inclusion in Mahdist Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and the Republic of Sudan during 1885 to 2011.
Prior to this occupation, in 61 AD, the Roman Empire sought to expand its empire but was stopped in its tracks by the Sudd Marshlands from penetrating into Equatorial Africa. For the same reasons in later times the search for the source of the Nile was particularly difficult.
South Sudan is majorly occupied by the Nilotic speaking people such as the Dinka Shilluk, and Luo who begun expansion in the 14th century all over South Sudan from the Sudd marshland where archaeological evidence shows that a culture based on transhumant cattle raising had been present since 3000 BCE. Archaeological evidence as well as the physical evidence in the livelihood of the Nilotes including their dome-shaped houses and tukuls shows that they may have made an enormous contribution to the governance and wealth of the Nubia Kingdom before and during the 25th Dynasty.
By the sixteenth century the most powerful group among the Nilotic speakers were Shilluk, who spread east to the banks of the White Nile under the legendary leadership of Nyikang, who is said to have ruled the Shilluk 1490 to 1517. The Shilluk political structure gradually centralized under a king or reth. The most important is Reth Tugo who ruled c. 1690 to 1710 and established the Shilluk capital of Fashoda.
Over time there has been conflicts in Sudan over territory first with Arab Egypt in 1820, then in the 1880s nationalist revolts against Egyptian and British rule and even after the Independence of Sudan there broke out a conflict between the North and South from !955-1972 over territory and oil fields in south Sudan. Lastly, another civil conflict ensued from 1983-2005 after repeated violations of the Addis Ababa Agreement by the north leading to increased unrest in the south during the 1970s.
South Sudan under John Garang forms a liberation Army in Ethiopia (1983) and the war raged on in the south with the Murahaleen – government armed Arab militias which led to many famine tha affected over 4 million deaths and refugees in the south.
In April, 2010 Sudan held its first national elections in over 20 years. Key opposition parties boycotted at the last minute charging election fraud. Omar Hassan al-Bashir won Presidency of Sudan with 68% of the vote. Salva Kiir won Presidency of the Government of Southern Sudan with 75% of the vote.
On January 9th 2011, Southern Sudanese vote in a referendum that stipulated in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement to decide if the region will separate from the North and become an independent nation. When results were tabulated, the vote was overwhelming for separation. Following the results of the referendum, a six-month period of transition begun
However, it is impossible to explain South Sudan's recent conflicts from any single angle or with any simple terms. While religion, race, economic exploitation, and colonialism are all major elements in the crisis, none of these factors fully explains the situation.
Population, Size & Location
The current population of South Sudan is 14,028,133 as of Thursday, August 23, 2018, based on the latest United Nations estimates. The population density in South Sudan is 22.6 per km2 (58.6 people/mi2). The total land area is 610,952 Km2 (235,890 sq. miles) 20.0 % of the population is urban (2,577,380 people in 2018). South Sudan is a land locked country found in Equatorial Africa, situated in East Africa bordered by Uganda to the south, Kenya to the South East, Ethiopia to the East, Sudan to the North, the Central African Republic to the West and DR Congo to the South west.
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.
Topography/ Relief
South Sudan’s vast plains and plateaus are drained by the Nile River and its tributaries. This river system runs from south to north across the entire length of the east-central part of the country. At the heart of the country is a clay plain, the centre of which is occupied by an enormous swampy region known as Al-Sudd (the Sudd).
There are two contrasting upland areas. The Ironstone Plateau lies between the Nile-Congo watershed and the clay plain; its level country is marked with inselbergs (isolated hills rising abruptly from the plains). On the Uganda border there are massive ranges with peaks rising to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). The Imatong Mountains contain Mount Kinyeti (elevation 10,456 feet [3,187 metres]), the highest point in South Sudan.
Drainage and soils
The Nile River system is the dominant physical feature, and all streams and rivers of South Sudan drain either into or toward the Nile. The White Nile (Baḥr Al-Abyaḍ) enters the country as the Mountain Nile (Baḥr Al-Jabal) from the south through rapids at Nimule on the Uganda border. After its confluence with the left- (west-) bank tributary known as the Baḥr Al-Ghazāl, the Mountain Nile becomes the White Nile. A little farther north along its course, the White Nile receives much of its water from the right-bank Sobat River, which flows from the Ethiopian Plateau to join the Nile near Malakal. Drainage in the country does not always reach the Nile Rivers; the rivers of the southwest, for example, infrequently reach the Baḥr Al-Ghazāl system.
Culture
The South Sudanese communities generally live in semi-independent farms and establish their villages in which usually live close and extended relatives. Their societies in septs or clans are led by a king or chief, depending on the structure of each ethnic community. Southern Sudan has Christianity, Islam and indigenous religions. Some communities also believe in the power of spirits. Consequently, soothsayers, rainmakers or spear-masters are revered in these communities. The South Sudanese traditionally eat together, albeit separated by gender, age and social status. For daily diet includes a variety of sometimes imported food. Some of their staple foods are milk, beef, honey, fish, lamb, and traditional herbs and vegetables, peanuts, beans, venison, sesame and finger millet. Traditionally, there is a clear division of labor by gender, age and social status. Men are usually responsible for fighting invaders and defending the family, while women work in the household and take care of the children. All of the communities practice some form of initiation rites well into adulthood, such as the removal of the lower teeth, facial markings, wearing special beads or pearls, or male circumcision (particularly among the Bantu groups).Weddings are one of the most important milestones in the lives of the South Sudanese, often attended by all members of the immediate and extended family, especially including maternal relatives. Yet, young people often have no say in the choice of a future spouse: parents arrange the marriage of their children instead. Several communities have also developed various nuptial rites. For example, the exchange of gifts between the families is common. Similarly, the bride-price (dowry) forms an important element of marriage to this day. A marriage usually produces a deep bond between the families involved, which makes it nearly impossible to divorce except in a very serious case. In the event of divorce, the entire dowry (or a great portion of it) is returned to the man and his family. The birth of a child is celebrated by certain rites, each depending on the community and the sex of the child. Children are usually named according to the season, for special events or relatives. Due to the high status of cattle in most communities, children are even named after the color of the cattle. Boys often take the name of the color of bulls, while girls are named after the color of cows.
Ethnic groups & composition
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), Kakwa, Lugbara and Keliko people, Muru, Baka, Madi, Mundu, Avokaya, Jur people, Shilluk, Kuku, Murle, Mandari, Didinga, Ndogo, Bviri, Lndi, Anuak, Bongo, Balanda, Ottuho (Latuka and Lokoya people), Topossa, Lango, Dungotona, and Acholi. 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
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.
Transportation and telecommunications
South Sudan’s transport system is underdeveloped and is a serious constraint on economic growth. Prior to the region’s secession from the north, it was estimated that there were some 2,500–3,400 miles (4,000–5,500 km) of main roads, of which only some 30 miles (50 km) were paved. There were also about 4,700 miles (7,500 km) of secondary roads, unpaved and in various states of disrepair. The utility of the unpaved roadways is compromised during the rainy season, when many of them are impassable. There are some 150 miles (240 km) of railway track linking the city of Wau with Sudan. After years of disrepair due to long-running conflict, the railway line resumed operations in 2010. It is used to transport freight. Road construction and expanding the rail system have been priorities of the government. South Sudan is landlocked, and its rivers, particularly the White Nile and its tributaries, are important transportation links. The White Nile and the Baḥr Al-Ghazāl are navigable throughout the year, and steamer services are available on the White Nile. Ports include those at Juba and Bor, located on the Mountain Nile, and at Malakal, on the White Nile.The country has several dozen airfields, but few have paved runways, and, as a result, many are inoperable during the rainy season. By far the busiest facility is the international airport at Juba; other heavily used airports include those at Malakal, Rumbek, and Wau. South Sudan is served by several international and domestic airlines, including Southern Sudan Airlines, which was created in 2005 to serve the newly semiautonomous region.Decades of civil conflict have hindered the development of telecommunications infrastructure in South Sudan, but this area has seen quite a bit of expansion since the CPA was signed in 2005. There is no network of landlines for telephone service, but mobile phone providers have established coverage in and around the country’s main cities and towns. Internet service is available in many of the main cities and towns.