Sudan EconomyuAgricultureuForestry and Fishing uMining uManufacturinguEnergy uCurrency uForeign Trade uTransportation and CommunicationsuGovernment:ExecutiveuLegislature uJudiciaryuLocal GovernmentuDefenseuHealth and Welfareu
Agriculture continues to dominate the economy of Sudan. Economic growth was virtually nil between the mid-1960s and the early 1990s, when drought and civil war caused the annual gross national product to fall to $184 per capita, a nearly three-fold drop in three years. Sudan’s huge foreign debt is seen as an obstacle to economic recovery. In 1992 the debt was estimated to be $15 billion, nearly three times the country’s gross national product.
About two-thirds of Sudan’s population derives its living from crop farming or grazing, but only about 5 percent of the country’s land area is arable. Annual crop production in the early 1990s included sorghum (4.3 million metric tons), wheat (895,000), peanuts (454,000), dates (142,000), yams (129,000), and pulses (113,000). Sugarcane, processed into sugar by local industry, is also grown, as are several kinds of fruits and vegetables. Cotton is Sudan’s leading cash crop; it is produced in large amounts in the Al Jazìrah (Gezira) region between the Blue Nile and White Nile. The livestock population in the early 1990s included about 21.6 million cattle, 22.6 million sheep, 18.7 million goats, 2.8 million camels, and 35 million poultry.
Forestry and Fishing
The major forest product of Sudan is gum arabic, which is an ingredient in candy, perfumes, processed food, and pharmaceuticals. It is also used in printing. In the early 1990s about 40,000 metric tons of gum arabic were produced annually, about four-fifths of the world’s supply. Other forestry products include beeswax, tannin, senna, and timber, especially mahogany. The annual production of timber in the early 1990s was about 23.5 million cu m (about 829 million cu ft), of which more than 90 percent went for fuel. Fishing is carried on along the rivers and on the coast; the annual catch in the early 1990s amounted to approximately 33,300 metric tons.
Small amounts of chromium, manganese, and mica are produced. Other exploited minerals include gold, magnesite, and salt.
Sudanese manufacturing is in the early stages of development and largely confined to the processing of agricultural products. Textile and paper mills and sugar and petroleum refineries have been established; a number of factories also produce such consumer goods as cigarettes, beverages, and shoes. Construction materials such as cement are manufactured as well.
In the early 1990s Sudan annually produced 905 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, up from 334 million kilowatt-hours in 1968. Supplies of hydroelectricity from large installations at Khashm al Qirbah and Sennar are supplemented by thermal electricity produced in facilities burning refined petroleum. In 1995 Sudan signed an agreement with Russia to build a dam on the Nile River in the province of Shamalia. The dam will have a capacity of up to 300,000 kilowatts of electricity. It is expected to be completed in 1998.
The unit of currency is the dinar (75.0 dinars equal U.S.$1; 1995). In 1992 the dinar replaced the Sudanese pound, with an official exchange rate of 1 dinar equal to 10 pounds. The pound, however, remains a legal tender. Sudan has prohibited the establishment of foreign banks since 1985. The application of Islamic law to banking practices in 1991 put an end to the charging of interest in official transactions.
In the early 1990s annual imports totaled approximately $1.3 billion and exports about $315 million. More than 50 percent of the export revenue is accounted for by cotton lint and cottonseed. Other major exports are gum arabic, sorghum, peanuts, and sesame seeds. The principal imports are machinery, petroleum products, transportation equipment, metal goods, and textiles. The main trade partners of Sudan include Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Thailand, Japan, and China.
Transportation and Communications
The Sudanese railroad system, comprising approximately 5500 km (about 3420 mi) of track, links most of the major cities and towns. Supplementing the railroad system is traffic on 5300 km (about 3300 mi) of navigable waterways and about 20,700 km (about 12,860 mi) of roads. About 60 percent of the roads, however, are dirt tracks. A paved highway between Khartoum and Port Sudan was completed in 1980. A government-owned airline, Sudan Airways, maintains regular services throughout the country and operates scheduled international flights. Several foreign airlines also serve Sudan.
Telephone, telegraph, and postal services are administered by government monopolies. In 1974 an earth satellite station was opened, which greatly improved international communications. The government’s Sudan Broadcasting Service provides radio service in Arabic, English, and several languages spoken in southern Sudan. Television broadcasting was begun in 1962; in the early 1990s about 60 hours per week of programming were telecast. At that time some 6.5 million radios and 2 million television receivers were in use. Sudan’s independent newspapers were closed by the government after the 1989 coup.
About 58 percent of the workforce of Sudan is engaged in agricultural or pastoral occupations. About three-quarters of the workers are males. About 1.75 million Sudanese workers belonged to the principal trade union federation, the Sudan Workers Trade Unions Federation, which included 42 affiliated unions, before the union was banned following the 1989 coup.
The constitution of 1973, establishing Sudan as a one-party presidential republic, was suspended following a military coup in April 1985. Open elections were held in 1986, but political activities in the court were banned after another military coup in June 1989. In 1993 a transitional parliament was appointed by military leader General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in preparation for multiparty elections in March 1996. These presidential and legislative elections, overwhelmingly won by Bashir and his supporters, were strongly protested by opposition groups.
After the April 1985 coup, a 15-member Transitional Military Council took control. In April 1986 the people elected members to a parliamentary assembly; the leader of the majority party became prime minister. After the 1989 coup, the 15-member Revolutionary Command Council assumed command. On October 16, 1993, the council dissolved itself, naming Bashir president of a new civilian government.
A 264-seat National Assembly, elected in April 1986, was dissolved in the 1989 coup. A Transitional National Assembly was established in 1993, with the power to propose and pass legislation, veto government legislation, and ratify treaties. The transitional body was replaced by a 400-member National Assembly in 1996, with 275 seats directly elected and the rest indirectly elected.
Sudan’s judicial system is divided into two major branches, a civil branch handling most cases and an Islamic branch handling only personal and family matters. The civil branch includes a supreme court, courts of appeal, major courts, and magistrates courts. In 1983 a system of Sharia courts that enforced a strict Islamic legal code was established. These courts were abolished in the 1985 coup, but the basic two-level system was retained.
Under a reorganization program in 1994, Sudan is divided into 26 states. Each state is administered by an appointed governor.
In the early 1990s the armed forces of Sudan numbered about 72,800. The army had about 68,000 members; the navy, 1800; and the air force, 3000.
The government of Sudan operates limited health and welfare programs. The country was served in the mid-1980s by some 2400 physicians.
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