North Sudan is situated in northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea and it has a coastline of 853 km along the Red Sea. Fespite its split from the south it is still one of the largest countries in the continent.
It borders the countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Libya. It is dominated by the River Nile and its tributaries. The terrain is generally flat plains, broken by several mountain ranges; in the east are the Red Sea Hills. The Blue and White Niles meet in Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
In the north there is the very dry Nubian Desert. Sudan’s rainy season lasts for about three months (July to September). The dry regions are plagued by sand storms, known as haboob, which can completely block out the sun. In the northern and western semi-desert areas, people rely on the scant rainfall for basic agriculture and many are nomadic, traveling with their herds of sheep and camels. Nearer the River Nile, there are well-irrigated farms growing cash crops.
There are several dams on the Blue and White Niles. Among them are the Sennar and Roseires on the Blue Nile, and Jebel Aulia dam on the White Nile. There is also Lake Nubia on the Sudan-Egyptian border. Desertification is a serious problem in Sudan. There is also concern over soil erosion. Agricultural expansion, both public and private, has proceeded without conservation measures. The consequences have manifested themselves in the form of deforestation, soil desiccation, and the lowering of soil fertility and the water table.
