Sudan is the largest country in Africa, extending to 2.5 million sq km. It is about a quarter of the size of the United States and half the size of Europe. Because it is so big, it has a range of climatic areas - from tropical regions in the south, through featureless plains with varying rainy seasons, to the desert in the north. There are also mountain areas in the south and west.

Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world but it is now exploiting oil reserves and these are earning export revenue. Agriculture production remains Sudan's most important sector, employing 80% of the work force and contributing 43% of GDP, but most farms rely on rainfall for water and are susceptible to drought.

Population information for Sudan has been limited but the main features are high birth rate, high infant mortality and a high death rate, though this is beginning to decline. A large percentage of Sudan 's people are under fifteen years old and the country is expected to have rapid population growth.

Civil war
For most of the past forty years, a devastating civil war has been going on in Sudan. The powerful Arab population is in the minority, but it holds social, economic and political power. Military Islamic regimes, which have their powerbase in the northern area, dominate the non Arab, non-Islamic Sudanese, who make up 52% of the population.

There have been more than two million deaths since 1983 as a result of this civil war and of famine, which has been caused by repeated failure of annual rains. The UN Commissioner for Refugees has reported that millions more have been displaced from their homes, both in the northern and southern states. In the past few years, attacks by the government backed Arab militias in the area around Darfur have forced thousands of people into refugee camps.

Government shortcomings
Attempts at estimating the population have been largely unsuccessful. Since independence there have been three national censuses, in 1955-56, 1973 and 1983. The first was inadequately prepared and carried out. The second was not officially recognized by the government and its complete findings have never been released. The third census was of better quality, but some of the data has never been analysed because of inadequate resources.

Impact of civil war
In a less economically developed country (ELDC), like Sudan, it is vitally important that relief agencies have an up-to-date picture of population figures. But organising a census in the middle of an extended civil war, with mass movements of people fleeing the danger zones, is almost impossible. Any civil servant sent by the government to areas controlled by anti-government rebels is likely to be seen as an agent of the government and would be in real danger.