South Sudan - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of South Sudan. Landlocked; The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile; its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season; it is one of the world's largest wetlands. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 1,223 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of South Sudan
Location East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates 8 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain plains in the north and center rise to southern highlands along the border with Uganda and Kenya; the White Nile, flowing north out of the uplands of Central Africa, is the major geographic feature of the country; The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country
Natural Resources hydropower, fertile agricultural land, gold, diamonds, petroleum, hardwoods, limestone, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver
Natural Hazards
Irrigated Land 1,000 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km) Nile (shared with Rwanda [s], Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt [m]) - 6,650 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 6,018 km
Border Countries Central African Republic 1,055 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 714 km; Ethiopia 1,299 km; Kenya 317 km; Sudan 2,158 km; Uganda 475 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate hot with seasonal rainfall influenced by the annual shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone; rainfall heaviest in upland areas of the south and diminishes to the north
Area
Total Area
Land Area NA
Water Area NA
comparative Area more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Kinyeti 3,187 m
Lowest point White Nile 381 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 44.7% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 3.8% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 40.8% (2022 est.)
Forest 11.3% (2022 est.)
Other 44% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

Clusters found in urban areas, particularly in the western interior and around the White Nile as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In South Sudan, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Dinka (Jieng) approximately 35-40%, Nuer (Naath) approximately 15%, Shilluk (Chollo), Azande, Bari, Kakwa, Kuku, Murle, Mandari, Didinga, Ndogo, Bviri, Lndi, Anuak, Bongo, Lango, Dungotona, Acholi, Baka, Fertit (2011 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 4.65% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 36.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 5.9% of GDP (2021)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 5.09 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.48 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 72% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 1.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Net Migration rate 19.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality South Sudanese | South Sudanese (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions Christian 60.5%, folk religion 32.9%, Muslim 6.2%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 42.1% (male 2,725,520/female 2,619,035)
15-64 years 55.3% (male 3,568,064/female 3,458,804)
65 years and over 2.6% (2024 est.) (male 182,757/female 149,534)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 80.8
Youth dependency ratio 74.7
Elderly dependency ratio 6.1
Potential support ratio 18.4 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 18.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 18.7 years
Female 18.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 21.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 4.12% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 459,000 JUBA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over 1.22 male(s)/female
Total population 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 60.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 65.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 54.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 60.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 58.4 years
Female 62.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 88.7% of population
Improved: rural rural: 75.8% of population
Improved: total total: 78.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 11.3% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 24.2% of population
Unimproved: total total: 21.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 60.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 15.5% of population
Improved: total total: 24.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 39.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 84.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 75.4% of population (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about South Sudan

Want to know more about South Sudan? Check all different factbooks for South Sudan below.

South Sudan is found in Middle Africa