South Sudan: The World's Newest Country

SOUTH SUDAN THE WORLD’S NEWEST COUNTRY ON JULY 9TH 2011, SOUTH SUDAN BECAME THE WORLD'S NEWEST COUNTRY and in the days that follow will become the 193rd member state of the United Nations. From January 9-15, 2011, the people of Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede from the North after decades of conflict. SUDAN South Sudan has been ravaged by civil war for a total of 39 of the 55 years since Sudan gained independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956. 1ST CIVIL WAR 1955-1972 2ND CIVIL WAR 1983-2005 SOUTH SUDAN SUDANESE INDEPENDENCE 1956-PRESENT 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 The referendum was a condition of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the two-decade north-south civil war that lasted from 1983-2005. GEOGRAPHY TOTAL VOTES CAST: Prior to independence Sudan was the largest country in Africa at 967,500 sq mi. South Sudan is 239,285 sq mi, roughly the size of Texas. 3,851,994 Sudan's geographic divide is even visible in satellite photography due to their varied geography. NORTH SOUTH Primarily desert with a small Fertile land consisting of grassland, In order to dispel any confusion among a southern Sudanese population swathe of green land provided swamps and tropical forest. of which only 15% is literate, voters encountered two symbols on the by the Nile's path. Religious majority: Christian, ballot-a single hand for independence and two clasped hands for the Religious majority: Muslim Traditional/Animist choice to remain one country. t. The elections were monitored by more than 20,000 observers and over 1,000 journalists from around the world. POPULATION OF SUDAN: 45 MILLION #WELCOME193 FOR SOUTH SUDAN TO THRIVE AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION and 193rd member of the United Nations, it will require ongoing support from the global community in this transitional period. Social media has proven it can change the world.The #Welcome193 POPULATION OF SOUTH SUDAN (EST): campaign is an effort to use the power of social media to build 10-12 MILLION worldwide awareness about the birth of South Sudan and encourage support for the new country. Affiliated non-profits working to rebuild basic infrastructure in South Sudan and contribute to peace and positive development for its people are featured on the campaign's website Welcome193.org. TM VISIBLE Sources: BBC, CIA The World Factbook, Tehran Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post