Sudan Travel Guide

Sudan — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Northeast Africa.
Language: Arabic is the official language. English and many local dialects are widely spoken.
Area: 2,505,813 sq km (967,500 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT + 3.
Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz.
Population: 32.9 million (UN estimate 2002).
Population Density: 13.1 per sq km.
Capital City: Khartoum. Population: 2.4 million (UN estimate 2002; including suburbs).
Government: Islamic Republic since 1986. Gained independence from the UK in 1956.
Head of State: President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir since 1989.
Religion: Muslim in the north; Christian and traditional animist beliefs in the south.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +249. Outgoing international calls must go through the operator.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is widespread.

Internet

Internet access is available in main towns.

Media

Television and radio stations are mostly government-controlled.

Post

International post is slow.Sat-Thurs 0830-1200 and 1730-1830.

Press

Censorship is imposed on all press publications, following the 1989 coup. The main dailies are Abbar al-Youm, Al-Rai al-Akhar and Al-wan. The Sudan Standard is an English-language daily. There are English-language magazines entitled New Horizon and Sudanow.

Radio

SNBC runs national and regional networks. Mango 96 FM is a Khartoum music station.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period.
2011
30 Jun Revolution Day
30 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
6 Nov Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
28 Nov Islamic New Year
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan Independence Day
7 Jan Coptic Christmas
4 Feb Al-Mowlid Al Nabawi (Birth of the Prophet)
15 Apr Coptic Easter
30 Jun Revolution Day
19 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
25 Oct Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
15 Nov Islamic New Year
25 Dec Christmas Day
Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

Contact Information

Ministry of Tourism and National Heritage

PO Box 13226, Khartoum, Sudan
Tel: (183) 472 604 or 471 329.

Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in the UK

3 Cleveland Row, St James’s, London SW1A 1DD, UK
Tel: (020) 7839 8080.
Website: www.sudan-embassy.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1600 (general enquiries); Mon-Fri 0930-1230 (visa section).