Environment
- Sudan includes desert in the North and humid savannah in the South.
- The terrain is relatively flat with a few mountains.
- Sudan currently hosts two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserves, which promote biological and cultural diversity, and sustainable economic development.
- Soil erosion, drought and over-hunting put pressure on ecosystem health and livelihoods.
Agriculture
- Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and generates around 33% of GDP.
- Livestock are a significant part of this sector; sheep, cattle, goats and camels provide milk, meat and hide.
- Cotton, sesame and gum Arabic (a stabilizer in fizzy drinks) are major agricultural exports; livestock and hide exports to the Middle East are on the rise.
Water
- Northeast Sudan borders the Red Sea.
- The Nile River is the primary water source.
- Four main dams (two on the Blue Nile, one on the White Nile and one on the Atbara River) were constructed to provide flood control, irrigation and hydropower.
- The build-up of silt and weeds in irrigation canals and dams has significantly reduced water flow.
Energy
- Construction of the Merowe Dam doubled electricity production, but displaced 50,000 people from the fertile Nile Valley.
- Many Asian oil and gas companies have invested heavily in Sudan; most of the oil is exported to China.
- The majority of gas and oil reserves lie within the Muglad and Melut basins, most of which are in South Sudan.
- After South Sudan gained independence in 2011, oil revenues for Sudan dropped from 87% to 27%.
Livelihoods
- Nearly half of the population lives in poverty.
- Poverty is higher in rural areas where subsistence farmers depend on rainfall, and are more vulnerable to droughts and climate change.
- Two decades of civil unrest, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and degradation of natural resources, have contributed to this poverty.
