South Sudan

South Sudan is a landlocked country situated in East Africa, bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. The official name of the nation is the Republic of South Sudan, and its capital and largest city is Juba.

A fragile genesis

Following the Second Sudanese Civil War and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, southern autonomy was restored in 2005 with the formation of an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan. A historical turning point arrived on 9 July 2011, when South Sudan became an independent state after a January 2011 referendum yielded 98.8 percent support for independence. This milestone made it the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition as of 2026.

Persistent trials

After achieving independence, the country descended into the South Sudanese Civil War lasting from 2013 to 2018, which involved severe human rights abuses such as ethnic massacres and forced displacement. Governance since the conflict has been handled through a coalition formed by leaders of former warring factions, including Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and Riek Machar of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition. The nation continues to recover from the war while managing systemic ethnic violence, widespread underdevelopment, and an economy historically producing the world's lowest nominal GDP per capita.

Land of the White Nile

South Sudan is a landlocked sovereign state located in East Africa. The nation is defined geographically by the Nile River system, which flows from south to north through its center and is dominated by a vast swamp known as the Sudd.

A major historical turning point arrived on 9 July 2011, when the territory officially became an independent state following a January 2011 referendum that recorded 98.8 percent support for independence. This milestone marked the culmination of decades of conflict, including the Second Sudanese Civil War, which concluded in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the subsequent restoration of southern autonomy.

Today, the capital and largest city is Juba. The diverse landscape spans dry and tropical savannahs, plains, plateaus, inland floodplains, and forested mountains across an area of 644,329 square kilometers. Composed mostly of Nilotic peoples including the Dinka, Nuer, Azande, and Bari, the population is demographically among the youngest globally, with approximately half of its inhabitants under eighteen years of age.

Culture and Arts

South Sudan is a landlocked country situated in East Africa, featuring a capital and largest city named Juba. The nation's defining physical feature is the Nile River system, which flows through its center and is dominated by a large swamp known as the Sudd.

A profound historical turning point occurred on 9 July 2011, when the region became an independent state following 98.8% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum. This emergence as the most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition marked the end of decades of conflict, including the Second Sudanese Civil War that ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Culturally, the population is composed mostly of Nilotic peoples, including the Dinka, Nuer, Azande, and Bari, spanning a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups.

British colonial policies, such as the Closed District Ordinance of 1922, and geographical barriers like the swamplands along the White Nile, curtailed the spread of Islam to the south. This allowed southern tribes to retain much of their traditional political and religious institutions. Today, the majority of inhabitants adhere to Christianity or various traditional indigenous faiths, alongside a sizeable Muslim minority.

South Sudan is a landlocked country located in East Africa. The capital and largest city of the nation is Juba.

A Historic Turning Point

Decades of conflict defined the political trajectory of the region, culminating in the Second Sudanese Civil War that ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. That agreement restored southern autonomy through the formation of an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan. Following this critical political turning point, a January 2011 referendum resulted in 98.8% support for independence. On 9 July 2011, South Sudan officially became an independent state.

Governance since independence has been shaped by subsequent internal conflict. The South Sudanese Civil War lasted from 2013 to 2018, leading to a governing coalition formed by leaders of former warring factions, including Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and Riek Machar of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition. The country continues its recovery from the war amidst ongoing ethnic violence.

South Sudan is a landlocked country situated in East Africa, featuring Juba as its capital and largest city. The nation's landscape is defined by the Nile River system and the expansive Sudd swamp.

Echoes of a fractured dawn

Independence arrived on 9 July 2011 following 98.8% support in a January 2011 referendum. This historical turning point was soon followed by the South Sudanese Civil War from 2013 to 2018, a period that brought rampant human rights abuses including forced displacement, ethnic massacres, and killings of journalists.

Governance today is steered by a coalition formed by leaders of the former warring factions, specifically Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and Riek Machar of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition. While the country works to recover from years of conflict, it continues to experience ongoing and systemic ethnic violence. Membership in international bodies such as the United Nations, the African Union, the East African Community, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development anchors its diplomatic standing as the world's most recent sovereign state with widespread recognition.

South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Its capital and largest city is Juba.

Independence — a pivot for a fledgling economy

On 9 July 2011, a referendum in which 98.8 % of voters chose separation turned the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region into the world’s newest sovereign state. The moment unlocked the ability to collect taxes, manage the South Sudanese pound (SSP), and set fiscal priorities without Khartoum’s oversight.

At the time of independence the nation counted roughly 8.3 million people across 644,329 km², with English as its official language. Yet the economy entered the new era already ranked at the bottom of the Human Development Index and recorded the lowest nominal GDP per capita globally. Rural livelihoods dominate; most households rely on subsistence farming, and infrastructure remains sparse.

The 2013‑2018 civil war shattered nascent institutions, forcing millions from their homes and halting early attempts at economic diversification. A power‑sharing coalition led by Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar now steers a fragile recovery, seeking to rebuild roads, schools, and health centers while confronting systemic ethnic violence that still hampers growth.

South Sudan is a landlocked country situated in East Africa, featuring a diverse landscape of vast plains, plateaus, and dry savannahs. Dominated centrally by the White Nile and the large swamp known as the Sudd, the nation has its capital and largest city in Juba.

The Turning Point: Independence and Fractured Peace

Decades of conflict defined the region's path toward statehood, marked by the First Sudanese Civil War, the Second Sudanese Civil War, and the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Following 98.8% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum, South Sudan officially became an independent state on 9 July 2011. This historic transition established the newest sovereign state with widespread recognition, though the young nation soon descended into the South Sudanese Civil War from 2013 to 2018.

South Sudan is a landlocked country in East Africa. It became an independent state on 9 July 2011 after a referendum in which 98.8 % of voters supported separation.

Borderlines of a newborn nation

The Republic of South Sudan shares borders with Sudan to the north, Ethiopia to the east, Kenya to the southeast, Uganda to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southwest, and the Central African Republic to the west. Its capital and largest city is Juba, situated near the White Nile, which threads through the centre of a landscape dominated by the vast swamp known as the Sudd.

Geography and size

Covering 644 329 km², the country lies between latitudes 3° and 13° N and longitudes 24° and 36° E (latitude 4.85165, longitude 31.58247). The terrain ranges from plains and plateaus to dry and tropical savannahs, inland floodplains, and forested mountains.

Historical turning point

After decades of civil conflict under Anglo‑Egyptian and later Sudanese rule, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 restored southern autonomy and set the stage for the 2011 independence vote. The overwhelming referendum result marked the most recent sovereign creation recognised worldwide as of 2026.

Post‑independence turbulence

From 2013 to 2018, South Sudan descended into a civil war that produced massive displacement, ethnic massacres, and the targeted killing of journalists. Since the ceasefire, governance has been handled by a coalition of former warring leaders: President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Riek Machar of the SPLM‑IO.

People, language, and faith

The population, estimated at just over 12.7 million in 2024, is composed mainly of Nilotic peoples such as the Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, and others. Roughly half of the residents are under 18 years old. Christianity and indigenous faiths predominate, with a sizeable Muslim minority. English is the official language; the national currency is the South Sudanese pound (SSP).

International standing

South Sudan is a member of the United Nations, African Union, East African Community, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. It ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index and records the world’s lowest nominal GDP per capita.

For further details, see the South Sudan article.