The arid north of Sudan is mainly desert with greener, agricultural areas on the banks of the Nile. Crops can only be grown during the rainy season (July to September). The south is mainly swamp and tropical jungle. The most important features are the White and the Blue Nile. The Blue Nile is prone to severe flooding. Mid-April to the end of June is the hot, dry season with temperatures above 110¡F.
The official language is Arabic, but English is widely understood. The government is trying to eradicate the use of colonial-tainted English as part of its Islamification. Ta Bedawie and Nubian are also spoken, as are dialects of the Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic and Sudanic languages. Evening meals are served around 10 p.m. The staple diet is fool (beans, or dura) eaten with vegetables. Disruptions of water and electricity are frequent. Telecommunications are slow and often impossible.
The strict Islamic code (Shari'a) has been in force since 1991.
Embassy Locations
The U.S. Embassy is located at Shari'a Ali Abdul Latif in the capital city of Khartoum. The mailing address is P.O. Box 699, or APO AE 09829. Tel.: 74700 and 74611. The work week is Sunday through Thursday. However, at press time, the embassy was closed due to the continuing turmoil. Visa information is at: http://www.sudanembassyus.org/frvisa.html
Other Web Resources
Government of Sudan
http://www.columbia.edu/~tm146/sudan.html
Sudan.net
http://www.sudan.net/
Sudan Home Page
http://www.yasin.dircon.co.uk/sudan/
Arabnet
http://www.arab.net/sudan/sudan_contents.html
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