South Sudan is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa and the youngest internationally recognised nation in the world, having gained its independence from Sudan only in 2011. A land of vast wetlands, savanna, and the White Nile, it is home to many cattle-herding peoples with proud and ancient traditions. Rich in oil but desperately poor and underdeveloped, the country has, since its hopeful birth, struggled with conflict, making the building of a stable nation its central and unfinished challenge.
The peoples of South Sudan, many of them cattle-herding communities, long lived apart from the Arab and Muslim world to the north, which sometimes raided the region for slaves. Under British rule the south was administered separately from the north of Sudan. After Sudan became independent in 1956, the south, feeling marginalised, fought two long and devastating civil wars against the northern government over many decades. A peace agreement finally led to a referendum in which southerners voted overwhelmingly to separate, and South Sudan was born in 2011.
South Sudan is a flat, low-lying country of tropical grasslands, savanna, and, above all, vast wetlands. The White Nile flows north through the country, spreading out across the centre into the Sudd, one of the largest wetlands in the world, a great maze of swamp, channels, and floating vegetation that teems with wildlife and that long made the region difficult to traverse. Beyond the wetlands lie woodlands and savanna, supporting the great herds of cattle central to the life of many of its peoples.
The flag of South Sudan has three horizontal bands of black, red, and green, separated by thin white stripes, with a blue triangle at the hoist bearing a golden star. The black represents the people, the red the blood shed for freedom, the green the land, the white peace, the blue the waters of the Nile, and the golden star, called the Star of Bethlehem, the unity of the country's states. Adopted at independence, the flag draws together symbols of the long struggle and the new nation's hopes.
South Sudan is predominantly Christian, the result of missionary activity, with the majority belonging to various Protestant churches and to the Roman Catholic Church, alongside a large number of people who follow traditional African religions, with their reverence for ancestors and the spirits of nature. This Christian and traditional religious character was one of the differences that set the south apart from the largely Muslim north of Sudan. Faith plays a significant role in community life and in efforts toward reconciliation.
The cuisine of South Sudan reflects the cattle-herding and farming life of its peoples. A staple is a thick porridge made from sorghum or millet, often eaten with stews and sauces, and among the cattle-keeping communities, milk and dairy products are highly valued. Cattle themselves, however, are usually a measure of wealth and status rather than a daily food, slaughtered mainly for special occasions. Fish from the rivers and wetlands, beans, and vegetables round out a simple diet shaped by a challenging environment.
Agriculture and cattle-herding are the livelihood of the great majority of South Sudanese, though the sector is underdeveloped after decades of war and lacks infrastructure. Farmers grow sorghum, maize, and other crops, while pastoralist peoples move great herds of cattle across the land, animals of deep cultural importance. The country has very fertile land and abundant water and could be a major food producer, but conflict and a lack of development have left it dependent on aid. Its economy rests overwhelmingly on oil.
The long marginalisation of the south, the decades of civil war against the northern Sudanese government, and the referendum that led to independence in 2011 are the defining events of the nation's creation. The joy of becoming the world's newest country was soon overshadowed when a power struggle erupted into civil war in 2013, a conflict along largely ethnic lines that caused immense suffering and displacement before peace efforts sought to rebuild the fragile state.
South Sudan has a population of around 11 million people, made up of many ethnic groups, the largest being the Dinka and the Nuer, both cattle-herding peoples, along with many others, speaking a great many languages with English as the official tongue. The population is overwhelmingly rural, young, and among the poorest in the world, with very low levels of development. Conflict and flooding have displaced large numbers of people, and the country faces the immense task of building a nation from its diverse peoples.
